Patience
by Thejollyhyuga
Summary: It takes time and Patience for a wound to heal. But can the same be said for love?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first fan fiction; i hope you guys enjoy it! Also, this fic takes place in the time when Itachi is dead and the pain attack already happened. But I'm not adding all that war crap, so i don't think you guys need to worry about spoilers; I'll warn you before there are any, Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Mission

Light flittered through his window making Naruto flinch and open his sleepy eyes. Getting up from his bed, he yawned widely and looked at the clock. It was only 9:00 AM, plenty of time for him to get ready for his meeting with his team and have breakfast. Slipping of from the bed, he went to the bathroom to do his morning routine and changed into his regular attire. Grabbing Gama-chan from the side table, Naruto searched into his closet and pulled out his Hitai-ate. After tightening the object on his forehead, he checked his wallet to make sure he had enough money for breakfast and raced out the door.

"Sakura-chan!" The said kunouchi visibly flinched at the loud voice so early in the morning. She turned around and waited for Naruto to catch up with her before continuing walking. "Where are you heading to?" He asked while bearing his usual wide grin.  
"To Ichiraku, same as you, I assume." She responded.  
"Hehe! So does this count as a date?" Naruto asked hopefully while poking his fingers together and smiling like an idiot.  
"Of course not!" Sakura smacked Naruto upside the head and walked faster to try and lose him. He just had to annoy her so early in the morning!  
"Sakura-chan! That hurts!" Naruto whined as he jogged to catch up with her. Ignoring his complain, she briskly walked forward. Soon, they reached Ichiraku. Both of them entered and took a seat at the counter.  
"Hey pops! They usual please!" Naruto hollered at Teuchi.  
"Coming right up!" He answered and began preparing Naruto's meal that consisted of a dozen bowls of different variations of ramen.  
"Miso ramen please." Sakura ordered kindly. In a matter of minutes, two steaming bowls of ramen were placed before the two friends. Naruto quickly began shovelling noodles into his mouth while Sakura delicately took a bite at a time.  
"If you eat so fast, you're gonna have a stomach ache Naruto." Sakura scolded him.  
"Daijoubu Sakura-chan! I have a really strong stomach. Besides, I do this almost everyday!" Naruto responded as he happily finished his second bowl and asked for another one. Sakura sighed and smiled. "Well, I need to do a few things for Tsunade-sama so I'm off." She said and paid her bill.  
"See ya later Sakura-chan!" Came Naruto's muffled reply.  
"At least eat before you talk!" She bonked him on the head and strode out of the ramen stand.  
_Boy, Sakura-chan sure is grumpy today_. Naruto thought as he finished his last bowl of Ramen and paid his bill.

After leaving Ichiraku, Naruto walked around the village to find something to do. It was only 9:45 AM, still 15 minutes until his meeting with his team. As he strolled through the not yet busy streets of Konoha, Naruto's face lit up as he spotted a familiar friend in a nearby shop.

- ‑‑‑  
Hyuga Hinata was getting the supplies she needed for a coming mission. She had woken up early this morning to train but had been interrupted by Kiba who notified her of a coming mission. In the middle of deciding between solider pills or food pills, Hinata felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, her eyes widened and face felt flushed when she stared at the person in front of her.  
"N-naruto-kun!" She uttered surprised.  
"Hinata! What are doing here?" He asked her, oblivious to her blushing face and surprised expression.  
"I-i was just buying s-supplies for a mission coming up." She answered quietly.  
"Ooh! I see! Mind if i join you? I also need to get a few things." He responded. Hinata nodded quickly. Naruto grinned and took a few items from the blushing woman's hand. "U-uh.. Naruto-kun, you didn't have to do th-hat." She spluttered but Naruto shook his head and smiled.  
"It's alright Hinata! I got it." He responded. She hesitated for a moment but let him carry the items. He tagged along with her as she continued her shopping. Since Naruto was a chatter box, he filled Hinata in on what he had done this morning and his opinions on all of his friends. She just smiled and nodded at the appropriate time. It felt good to listen to him. Naruto was interrupted in the middle of his opinion on Lee's huge eyebrows by Sai, who dropped beside the two of them, making Naruto shriek and Hinata giggle. "What the hell!? Stop scaring me like that!" Naruto ranted to Sai.  
"I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but Tsunade-sama wants you in the office. Our meeting has been cancelled." He informed them. Naruto stopped yelling abruptly and a questioning look was on his face. "What does she need us for? We just got a break from our mission." The blond ninja asked.  
"Beats me" Sai answered. Naruto turned to the woman beside him. "Sorry Hinata but I gotta go! We will continue our talk later ok?"  
"I-its ok Naruto-kun." She muttered. He grinned and leaped out of the shop. Sai nodded to Hinata and followed Naruto out the shop. Hinata watched them go and a wistful smile formed on her lips. Paying for her items, she exited the building and walked back to the Hyuga estate.

Naruto knocked on the door and entered when he heard the command from his Hokage. Completely oblivious to the tension inside the room, he nodded at his teammates and Kakashi before turning to Tsunade. "So Baa-chan! What do you have for us today?" Naruto yelled in her ear. A vein popped right above Tsunade's right eyebrow. Under normal circumstances, this would have earned him a good smack in the head but today, Tsunade needed to be calm and patient. What she was about to say to the people in this room would definitely cause a riot and to prevent that, she would have to be calm. "Team Kakashi, I have a mission for you. It is an S-rank hunt. We have the whereabouts of a certain rouge ninja and your team and a few more people will be bringing this ninja back to konoha, alive or dead." She looked around the room at the expressions of her students. Naruto and Sai hadn't figured it out yet. However, Sakura was beginning to suspect something as she could practically see the pink haired medic ninja's gears turning and her eyes widening slightly at a possible guess that was most likely correct, given Sakura's high intelligence. Kakashi in the other hand had already figured it out. The masked Jonin discretely shifted closer to the entrance so that he now blocked it and kept a firm gaze at Naruto and Sakura. "So who is this bastard we are supposed to bring back? Surely he can't be so dangerous that we have to send a huge team." Naruto pondered.  
Tsunade took a deep breath and braced herself for what was coming. "The ninja that you are to hunt... Is Uchiha Sasuke."

Yay! A cliff-hanger! Doesn't every one love cliff-hangers! I will be updating the next chapter on Saturday. Since this is my first attempt at fan fiction, i welcome constructive criticism! More like i want it. Review and tell me what you guys think! 

~ Thejollyhyuga


	2. Chapter 2 Preparations

Tada! I updated waaaay sooner than i was supposed to! The reason? I'm a kind and generous authoress who likes to give her readers a-ton of chapters to read cuz she just that awesome (Lies). The real reason? I just have a lot of time on my hands with no home work... not to mention that I'm a loner. -_- without further ado, my second chapter. It's a long one.

Disclaimer: I forgot to do this in the last chapter: Le moi does not own Naruto, Le moi owns drawings of him. It doesn't count as stalking... Right?

Chapter 2: Preparation

The silence inside the Hokage`s office was deafening. Naruto and Sakura had mirrored expressions with wide eyes and half opened mouths. Eventually Naruto broke the silence. "What!? Where is that bastard? How did you find him? What is he doing?" He shouted. There was more surprise in his voice than anger. Sakura's face was stark white. She fisted her hand and clutched the middle of her shirt. "Sasuke-kun..." She whispered. Sai was considerably silent about the whole matter.  
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed. "One question at a time, Naruto. I had a specialized tracking team hunt him and follow his moves for the past month. After gathering some information, we now know his location. For what reason he is staying there, we do not know. Personally, I didn't even want you to know any of this. However, you would have found out anyway. Your team will be leaving tomorrow along with a few more teams. I suggest you pack cautiously for this mission."

"But where is he?" The blond shinobi demanded. 

"That information will not be revealed to you until tomorrow." Tsunade answered. 

"But why!?" Naruto yelled angrily. 

"Because if you know, you will obviously go ahead and leave hastily, am i correct?" 

"But..." Not able to come up with a good excuse, Naruto shot a glare at Tsunade who gave him a 'try me' stare. Sakura had the same feelings as Naruto but didn't dare open her mouth. She knew perfectly well a match with Tsunade could never be won, be it physical or mental. But she desperately wanted to know where Sasuke was so she could go as soon as possible.  
"All of you are now dismissed." The blonde woman said with her arms folded.  
Turning on his heel, Naruto angrily strode out of the building, closely followed by Sakura and Sai. Kakashi however waited beside the door. After the three teammates had exited, he looked expectantly to his leader. "So exactly where is my cute little student hiding?" He asked.

"Right now, he is inside a forest near the border of the Land of Lighting." The Hokage informed him. 

"I see... I'm glad you didn't share this information with those two. It would not have been pretty. Who are you planning to send, Tsunade-sama?" 

"I'll be sending four squads. One will be a tracking squad. One will be a strategy squad and two will be fighting squads. There are a few medics inside these squads. I'm sure that my choices are good." She replied. Kakashi nodded, already knowing who these people would be. This time there was no escaping for Sasuke. Naruto was far stronger than he used to be. He doubted the combined power of Sasuke's old teammates wouldn't be enough to hold the Avenger down. 

"Well, I'll be taking my leave then." The masked ninja nodded once, opened the door and led himself out.

The walk back to their respective homes was quiet for Naruto and Sakura. As soon as they had exited the Mansion, Sai took his leave, saying he had an important task to do. That gave the two friends time to ponder on the events of the morning. They reached a forked road, one path leading to Sakura's home and the other to Naruto's. 

"Well Naruto, see you tomorrow." Sakura tried to smile, but failed. 

"Yeah..." Naruto responded, but he didn't meet her gaze. Sakura turned to leave but Naruto grabbed her wrist. 

"Ne Sakura-chan... I promise this time we will definitely bring him back." He said a look of determination inside those cerulean eyes.

"Naruto..." Touched by his words, she smiled at him and a determined look adorned her face.

"Yes... We will definitely get him back, no matter what it takes." Releasing her wrist, he returned her smiled and bid her goodbye.

Sakura watched Naruto go and turned to the direction of her house. After arriving, she headed straight to her bedroom. Inspecting the room, her eyes fell upon a frame on the side table. It was an old picture of the original team 7. She was in the middle with Sasuke and Naruto beside her and Kakashi-sensei above with his hands on the grumpy rivals. Delicately taking the picture, she traced the outline of the frame and eventually, her beloved Sasuke's face_. Sasuke-kun... All this time I've waited for you to come back but now, I will definitely bring you back!_ She put the frame back on the table and went to her wardrobe. Grabbing clothes meant for training, she quickly changed and headed out the door.

As Naruto headed towards his home, a lavender head caught his attention. He smiled and walked faster to try and catch up with the said kunouchi.  
Suddenly feeling a presence behind her, Hinata stiffened and quickened her pace. One hand went to her left thigh where a kunai holster was placed and the other poised in midair in case she needed shuriken. The person kept following her. She casually pretended to take something out of her pocket and discreetly pulled out a kunai. Naruto was quite unaware as to what was about to happen. Just as he opened his mouth to announce his presence to Hinata, she whirled around and shoved a kunai in his general direction. Surprised at an attack from his friend, Naruto put his arms to his face and sprung back to try and dodge the kunai, but it grazed his left arm. He winced at the sting that came with it. Realizing who she had injured, Hinata immediately dropped her kunai and rushed to Naruto's side. "Oh my- i didn't-i mean-what were- i mean I'm so sorry Naruto-kun!" She spluttered like a cute squirrel. Looking at her apologizing form, a laugh escaped Naruto's lips making Hinata halt her actions.

"It's okay Hinata! I should have yelled before i caught up with you." He replied while grinning.

"I-i didn't mean to injure you... Here, let me see." Forgetting that she was touching **Naruto**, Hinata softly took his wrist and pulled up the sleeve. There was a small gash on the back of his arm. Searching her pocket, she fished out a clean cloth, a roll a bandage and some salve that numbed the pain and healed wounds at the same time. Making him sit down at a nearby bench, she got the clean cloth, wet it with some water from a bottle she was carrying and delicately dabbed the wound. After cleaning it, she  
un-lidded the ointment container and a sweet smell of lavender filled Naruto's nostrils, making him forget about the sting he was feeling at the moment. "Wow Hinata, this stuff smells great! Where'd you get it?" He asked as she liberally applied the cream on the gash. It felt cool on Naruto's skin and the pain immediately subsided. "I made it myself." She answered busily. Coating the wound completely, she unrolled the bandage and gently but firmly wrapped it around the Naruto's wrist. Finishing, she cut the roll and tied it securely.

"Here, keep this jar for further use, Naruto-kun. Also, don't forget to change your bandage from time to time." She handed him the salve. Naruto gratefully accepted it. "Thanks, Hinata! I'll be sure to use it." Snapping out of her medical mode, Hinata blushed a rosy red and muttered something. "What's that?" Naruto asked and leaned closer to hear what she was saying. Hinata's eyes widened at the close proximity of her precious person and before she could faint like the old days, backed away and ran out of Naruto's sight. "Wait! Why are you running?" Naruto called out, but Hinata was already gone. "Huh... Strange" Naruto wondered, but smiled. She had managed to completely take away his miserable mood. The way she fussed over his wound and the extreme care she gave him, felt quite good. He wondered if everyone got this kind of treatment whenever they were injured by a beauty like her. _Wait... Beauty? What am i thinking? Ero-sennin definitely rubbed off on me. _Shaking his head, Naruto looked at the jar of ointment she gave him and smiled. He would make sure to use it so he could ask her for more. Clutching the ointment tightly, the blond shinobi continued on his way home to pack for the upcoming mission.

Rushing to the Hyuga estate, Hinata entered the huge compound and raced to her bedroom. On the way, she bumped into a tall figure. "Neji-nii-san! I'm Sorry!" She apologized while holding her nose. Her nasal voice made a slight smile appear on Neji's lips. "Don't worry about it Hinata-sama." He answered. "Where are you rushing to?" He asked.  
"T-to my room" she answered and bowed to him before racing away. Looking at her retreating figure, Neji smiled and continued on his way to his quarters.

Team Kakashi, Team Gai, Team Kurenai minus Kurenai and Team Asuma minus Asuma were standing at the gates of Konoha each dressed in heavy cloaks for the rainy weather. Naruto had a determined look on his face and Sakura had the same expression as him. Everyone else however, looked grim. They had been informed of the details this morning and the shock was still fresh. Tsunade stood next to the group and finally spoke.  
"As you all know, this mission is an S-ranked hunt. I expect you all to complete this without failure. You sensei know the location you are all headed to. Also, I'm putting Kakashi and Gai in-charge. You will listen to them and follow their rules, right Naruto?" The blonde women gave him a smile that was obviously fake. "Y-yeah! Of course I'll listen, hahaha..." Naruto replied nervously while scratching his head and laughing.  
"Now that is a correct way to use a fake smile!" Sai said. "Keep your mouth shut Sai! You don't want to anger her!" Sakura hissed in his ear.

"Haah... This is gonna be troublesome." Shikamaru sighed and scratched his head. 

"Everything is troublesome with you! Try being serious will ya!" Ino scolded him with a hand on her hip.

"Women" The genius muttered.

"What was that?" Ino screeched.

"Hey! Let's all get along ok?" Choji tried to make peace.

"Hmph!" Ino tilted her head and flipped her blonde hair.

"We are gonna bring that bastard down!" Kiba yelled fist pumped in the air.

"Kiba, you are too enthusiastic... Why becau-" Shino was interrupted by an equally enthusiastic Naruto.

"Shut up Kiba, you couldn't even land a hit on me. I can do this all by myself!" He hollered.

"Oh yeah? Who in this group is only a genin huh! You that's who! Hahaha" Kiba laughed.

"Teme!" Naruto shook his fist, ready to punch Kiba but another fist met his head with a force that could destroy a house.

"Stop your squabbling Naruto! We need to get going, Channaro!" Sakura yelled angrily. Nursing his sore head Naruto backed away and sulked in a corner. Shino had also gone into a corner and sulked at being interrupted. Hinata squatted down next to him and lightly patted his shoulder.

"Shino-kun, don't feel bad." She said.

"Lee! We mustn't lose to anybody, youth- full power!" Gai yelled to his favourite student.

"Hai Gai sensie! I'll treasure your words!" Tears spilt from Lee's eyes like two waterfalls as he looked up to his master in admiration.

"You see that sunset Lee? We shall cross it for youth!"

"Hai! Gai sensei!"

"When is this gonna end?" Tenten muttered. Her group was definitely the most embarrassing out of everyone.

"Agreed" Neji said.

"Alright! Enough fooling around, head out! Shoo!" Tsunade said and dismissed the group. Getting up from the corner, a determined look came across Naruto's face and he clenched his hand. Sasuke... This time you are not getting away. The hunt for Uchiha Sasuke had begun.

Finally finished! This chapter had been swarming in my head for a long time. Since winter break is right around the corner, you can expect me to be updating quite quickly. I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to Ayrmed for being my first reviewer ever and reviewing in the first place! Thank you! It meant soo much! *virtual hug* my next chapter will be coming on Saturday. Seriously this time. Please review and give me some constructive criticism. Me like criticism.

~Thejollyhyuga 


	3. Chapter 3 Encounter

Yay! I'm back to annoy you guys! This is a loooong chapter. Well, in my perspective at least. I have never written fights before so please tell me how i did. Also, i would like to give a big thanks to Luna-Dara and Ayrmed for reviewing. Thanks! :3 if there are mistakes, my apologies!  
Happy reading!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, there would be Naruhina in the first episode.

Chapter 3: Encounter

Inky clouds that threatened to weep covered the afternoon sun. The weather was quite dismal. None of this bothered Uchiha Sasuke, who was perched on a huge rock in the middle of a clearing. For months he had felt the presence of chakra wherever he went. At first, Sasuke was itching to make those men stalking him suffer, but an idea formed in his mind. They would most likely report to Konoha and he was sure after hearing where he was, Naruto would come running to him. Why go through all the trouble to go to Konoha to destroy Naruto when he would willingly come to him, probably with the rest of his old teammates. He had led the Anbu to this location and stayed for a few days knowing they would come eventually. Feeling the vague presence of his old teammates approaching fast, Sasuke smirked devilishly.  
_The time has come; soon i will kill those people that ruined you nii-san! One by one, i will crush those that bear the symbol of Konoha._ The clouds above begun pouring down rain, as if weeping for what was about to happen.

Jumping off another tree branch Naruto tightened his hand into a fist. They were so close to Sasuke, he could feel it. Behind him, Sakura was lost in her own little world. Her mind was overflowing with images of Sasuke and all the times they shared together. Everyone was quite. The only thing that could be heard was the slight pitter-patter of the rain. Kakashi was ahead of the crew, with Kiba in tow. He growled in frustration. "Man this rain is making it really hard for me and Akamaru to track down Sasuke's scent!" He said.  
"Neji, Hinata, what do you see up ahead?"  
Kakashi asked the two Hyuga.  
Both of them whispered a silent Byakugan and strained their eyes to see. In their 360 degree vision, the two saw a landing with separate paths. However, they could see no more than that. "There is a landing up ahead, leading to different directions. I can't see further for some reason." Neji informed a puzzled expression on his face. Nodding Kakashi jumped off a few more branches and landed on mire ground. The rest of the team landed around him. In front of them, there were four caves, most likely leading to different direction. "Which cave should we enter?" Sakura asked.  
"I'll just send a bunch of cones in each one! That way we can find out what's in there." Naruto suggested happily already making the appropriate sign. "If we do that, we will lose out element of surprise ya moron!" Kiba retorted.  
"We don't really have an element of surprise anymore. Our group gives of a massive amount off chakra. I doubt that Sasuke hasn't already noticed us." Shikamaru replied.  
"Well, what do we do then?" Tenten asked.  
They all looked to Kakashi, Gai and Yamato. "Here is what we will do. We will split into 4 groups and enter. This way we'll cover more ground. Also, only separate when you need too. Otherwise, try and stay together. Naruto, Sakura, Kiba and Shikamaru will enter the tunnel farthest to the right. I will enter the next tunnel with Hinata, Lee and Sai. Shino, Ino, Choji and Yamato will go into the third tunnel and Tenten, Neji and Gai will go into the last one. Got it?"  
"Why do i have to team up with this moron?" Kiba whined.  
"Well i don't want to be with you either dog breath!" Naruto retorted angrily.  
"Why can't we just go with our team members? We know each other's powers and coordination better." Sai asked.  
Shikamaru answered for Kakashi. "That's because it wouldn't balance out. Don't you see how it works? Right now, each team has a medic, a fighter, a tracker and leader."  
"Exactly!" Kakashi answered.  
"But i still don't want to be with him!" Naruto grumbled and pointed at Kiba, who grumbled back. "Suck it up Naruto! It's not the time to be choosing who to go with." Sakura said threateningly.  
"Alright! Now let's get a move on!" Before anybody could stop him, Naruto ran to the first tunnel and disappeared.  
"Naruto, Honestly! He's gonna get it!" Sakura, Kiba and Shikamaru followed him and disappeared. The rest of the ninja quickly nodded to each other and entered their respected caves.

"Baka! Wait up!" Naruto heard angry yelling behind him and slowed sown to let his comrades catch up.  
"Stop running before we even got dismissed!" Sakura gave him a good smack on the head while Kiba laughed and Shikamaru just sighed. "Gomen, Sakura-chan!" He whined.  
"Humph!"  
They continued walking deeper into the cave. Shikamaru silently took note of the dazed expression on Sakura's face. Aside from joking with Naruto, she had been like this for a long time. He wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing for her to be on this mission. Her emotions would definitely interfere with this assignment. Shaking his head, he looked around. The cave walls were rough to touch. Lights hung from the ceiling, giving off an eerie glow. The team stopped suddenly. In front of them was a forked road. "Which way should we go?" Naruto asked.  
Shikamaru quickly decided. "Me and Kiba will go to the right. You and Sakura go to the left." Nodding, they split up and continued to different paths.

Naruto and Sakura ran for only a few minutes before they were halted by another path that separated.  
"How many paths are there?" Naruto groaned. 

"We have to split Naruto. What if we chose the wrong path?" Sakura looked at him pleadingly. Reluctantly, Naruto agreed and he entered the right path while Sakura went to the left.

Hinata, Kakashi, Sai and Lee cautiously walked down the long road. The walls on both sides were made of granite and pitch black. Their only light source was Hinata's hand that emitted a soft glow of chakra. Hinata strained her Byakugan to see further but was only able to eliminate the darkness for her. Lee was unusually quiet. Kakashi guessed he had caught the mood of the rest of the group. Suddenly, Hinata put her hand out to halt the group. 

"Do you see something?" Kakashi asked. 

She nodded and gestured to the ground in front of them. Nothing. It was a bottomless pit. 

"How wide is it?" Kakashi questioned her. 

"About 12 metres" Hinata answered. 

"I have a solution for this" Sai took out his ink container and his brush. 

"Can you please shine some light Hinata-san?" He asked. 

"Hai" Hinata moved her hand right above Sai's scroll. Lee watch in fascination as Sai scribbled a bird on the thick parchment. The bird fluttered out of the scroll and awaited his master's instructions. "Hop on!" Sai smiled. They obliged and climbed the bird. After all the passengers were seated, it flew across the wide chasm and landed on the other side. Jumping off the bird, Sai did a release seal and the bird turned into ink. They stood in front of a huge door made of cold metal. There were carving etched on the sides with a huge seal in the middle. "This is a pretty easy seal. Almost too easy, don't you think sensei?" Sai asked. Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. He climbed the wall and swiftly removed the thin paper. There was a loud shudder as the rusted gears shifted into action and the heavy door creaked open. Silent steps echoed as Hinata, Sai, Lee and Kakashi entered the through the door. In front of them was a huge expanse of ground. On the far side, there was a small exit. Four shapes emerged from the ground just as Hinata took another step. It was White Zetsu. A smirk was on each one's face. 

"You won't pass any further." One of them rasped. Kakashi reached for his left eye but Lee halted his actions. 

"Let me do this, Kakashi sensei. Please go on ahead with Hinata-san and Sai-kun!" He exclaimed loudly. 

"Alright. We are counting on you." Kakashi nodded and advanced towards the exit with Hinata and Sai. One of the Zetsu moved towards their direction but Lee intercepted with a kick to the gut. It grunted in pain and collapsed, turning to a tree. Lee assaulted the next Zetsu with punches right to the face. By this time, the rest of the team had already left.

"Yosh! None of you will get across me!" Lee loudly exclaimed and shined his teeth. The remaining two rushed on each side of Lee with a kunai in hand. Lee however was ready for them. He ducked; making the two Zetsu's stab each other. They both landed on the ground with a thud and transformed into trees. _This was easy! Gai sensei, i made you proud!_ Lee turned around to go but four more creatures emerged from the ground. "Oh..." _Well, i guess I'm gonna be staying for a while_. Lee thought and got into his fighting stance.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, Sai and Hinata were quickly running when Hinata shouted "Get down!" She quickly ducked while Kakashi pressed himself to the left wall and Sai barely managed to avoid the onslaught of kunai by pressing himself to the right. "That was close" Sai murmured. He took out his sword, in case there were any more objects coming their way. Hinata reactivated her Byakugan and searched for any threat but surprisingly found none. She gestured for them to follow her and they continued, entering a large and open space. In the middle, there was a young woman standing with silky long black hair that reached her lower back. She wore a beautiful gray kimono with blue doves sown on the corners. Her head was bowed and hands were inside the sleeves of her kimono. Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Hinata, what do you see?" He asked. Her eyes widened as she scanned the women bowing I'm front of them. "It looks like a puppet... But i can't see any chakra strings." She muttered.  
"Then how do you know it's a puppet?" Sai asked "Because she is dead." Hinata answered. The woman lifted her head and they were met with a horrifying sight. Her skin was the colour of milk. Smudged red lipstick that looked suspiciously like blood matted her thin lips. Tears stained her cheeks and her nose was quite crooked. Her eyes however were the worst. The sockets contained nothing. They were completely hollow, with huge eyelashes on the side. There were no lines around her face like a puppet would have. She opened her mouth and another kunai shot straight for Sai. He quickly deflected it with his sword. "Sensei, i will do this. Please go ahead." He said.  
"No, i will stay with you. We can finish the job quickly." Kakashi answered.  
"Hinata, you go ahead."  
"Alright" She nodded sharply and ran to the opening on the other side. The puppet made no move to stop Hinata. Instead, she focused on Sai and Kakashi.  
Get ready, Sai." Kakashi ordered and crouched low.

Hinata swirled through different passages. The heavy chakra that blocked her 360 vision was vanishing slowly, but it was still not enough for her to see ahead of her properly. She turned left and continued down a long passageway. There were two turns ahead of her. Before she could decide which one to go into, Naruto suddenly came out of the right path. "Naruto-kun!" He stopped when he saw her.  
"Hinata! What are you doing here?" He asked.  
"I-i was continuing down my path." She answered.  
"Where are Kakashi sensei and Sai and bushy brows?" He asked. Hinata told him how they had to split up.  
"I see, well, I've already checked this path. We'll go into this one!" He pointed to the opposite section and Hinata nodded.  
"Hai!" She said and they both entered the left section.

Lee was on his 10th batch of disgusting creatures. Every time he killed a few, more showed up. Avoiding a kick to the head, he leapt back quickly and crouched on the ground. Searching his surrounding he tried to think of a solution. _I've been fighting them for such a long time but nothing has changed, they just keep on coming from the ground. The ground... The ground!_ His eyes went to the rocks and mud beneath him. It was odd how there wasn't even a scratch. In a battle, the landscape was always ruined, the ground especially. So why was it that not a scratch was on the earth? To test his theory, he got up, jumped and landed a solid drop kick to the ground. A large crater formed and he backed away to observe, almost like it was alive, the earth started mending itself and closed up like he had never hit it. An idea formed into his mind. He rushed forward to the nearest Zetsu and stabbed him, therefore killing him. Doing the same with the rest, he waited for the last creature to turn into a sapling and waited for the next batch. Just as he suspected, they emerged from the middle of the field, right where the previous batch had come from and the one before. Lee leapt back a few feet and concentrated. The air around him turned chilly and his skin turned red.  
"First gate Open! Second gate open!" He yelled. "Third gate open! Fourth gate open!" His skin colour was now a bloody red and his hair was defying gravity. In a flash, he was behind the first Zetsu. Delivering a solid punch in the back, He advanced towards the next one and obliterated him. Finishing the job with the third one, Lee landed in the middle of the field. Using his hands, he punched the ground continually before switching to kicking. The mud quickly chipped away and a deep hole formed. At the very bottom was a scroll. Quickly grabbing it, Lee inspected it before ripping the paper to shreds. There was only one Zetsu on the ground. He groaned and looked up.  
"How... Did you know?" He rasped.  
Releasing his four gates, Lee stumbled a little before answering. "In a battle, the ground is always ruined. Also, you guys always entered from the middle of the floor. It was suspicious. The scroll that was at the bottom was a summoning scroll. It automatically summoned more of you every time I killed a few." Lee flashed a smile. Zetsu groaned fell to the ground, turning into a tree. The fatigue finally caught up with Lee and he collapsed. _Please continue without me everyone! With that, he closed his eyes and let exhaustion take over him. _

Sai dodged another kunai dripping with poison. The puppet had done nothing but opened her mouth and throw weapons at them.  
"This is getting annoying" Sai muttered as he dodged and deflected two shuriken. Kakashi made a few hand seals and chakra crackled in his right palm. Rushing towards the puppet, he jumped up and landed a chidori on her head. The puppet made no move to stop it as her head shredded to pieces. Just as quickly, a new head popped up. Kakashi backed away, disgusted. "If we can find the strings or whatever is controlling this thing, this would be over quite quickly." He stated. "Hm... We keep on thinking it's a puppet yet there are no strings connected. Or, there are and we just have to find them" Sai murmured thoughtfully.  
"How do you suppose we do that?" Kakashi asked. Before Sai could answer, the wooden doll made her first movement. She slowly walked towards them with her arms outstretched. She stopped just a few feet I'm front of them and took out a blade from her sleeve. Sai leapt forward and intercepted her. They exchanged blows and the puppet was surprisingly agile. Kakashi quickly removed the cloth covering his left eye and his sharingan activated. The puppet's movements were quick and no chakra surrounded her. Just as Kakashi was about to move, he caught something. There a little glitch in the puppets actions and a small string connected to the back of her head became visible. Kakashi quickly beckoned Sai to retreat. "There are chakra strings. I just saw one. They were only visible for an instance but disappeared quickly. How, i don't know but i have a plan to make them reappear." Kakashi said as Sai retreated. Nodding he lent the Jonin his ear and listened to the plan. His eyes widened when he heard the plan. "Do you think it will work?" Sai asked.  
"It's our only chance." Kakashi answered.  
Sai took out his ink container and drew a small bird. It came to life and flew towards the puppet. Just before she could kill it, the bird turned to ink and dripped around the puppet. Some of the ink stuck to strings connecting to the puppet's body. "It worked!" Sai said and Kakashi nodded. Rushing forward, he took a kunai from his pouch and cut the visible strings. The puppet's right hand went limp. Sai drew more birds and they all aimed for the woman before turning to ink and staining her kimono. Every string that became visible, Kakashi cut it. Soon, the puppet went completely limp and fell to the floor. Sighing with relief, Kakashi stepped over her and continued to the exit. Sai followed him and together, they both left the puppet and ran after Hinata.

Kiba and Shikamaru were having a hard time; they were having a nice conversation when both of them were attacked by water. Spitting out the liquid, Kiba growled, "I sense some nasty chakra." Shikamaru turned and looked at the scene before them. There was a huge puddle of water inside the cave they just entered. The ceiling was quite low and the cave walls were curved.  
A shape emerged out of the water. "Haha! You look so stupid dripping wet!" A voice filled the cave. "Who's there!?" Kiba narrowed his eyes. A man was standing before them. He had short white hair and canine teeth. He wore a purple tank top and light blue pants. A water bottle was in his hand. "So you are the Konoha trash Sasuke ordered to remove, eh? Well, I'm Suigetsu! Nice to meet ya. But you are gonna die!" He laughed. Kiba growled and rushed forward.  
"Wait! Kiba!" Shikamaru yelled but Kiba didn't listen. He aimed for a punch at Suigetsu's gut but his hand passed right through, like water. Suigetsu grabbed Kiba's hand and jerked it around making the Konoha ninja flip and leap back. "I told you to wait!" Shikamaru grunted and looked around. There wasn't any light source in the huge cave. He would have to find a way to create light first and then worry about shadows. "Can you keep him distracted for a little while?" He asked.  
"Of course!" Kiba rushed towards the enemy and started a taijutsu battle. Every kick and punch was blocked by Suigetsu. Frustrated, Kiba leapt back and did a few seals. Akamaru joined him and Kiba yelled, "Chou ju Giga!" Turning into a whirling tornado, he hurled himself at Suigetsu. The man simply jumped aside and Kiba crashed into the nearest wall.  
"You Konoha ninja are so weak!" Shaking, he got up and growled. Kiba leapt back to Shikamaru and muttered. "You got any idea how to kill this bastard?" Shikamaru's gaze went to the hole Kiba had just made. A trickle of sunlight was coming through.  
"Yes i do." Shikamaru murmured something into Kiba's ear. Puzzled he nodded. "How is this gonna help?" He asked.

"Just trust me." Shikamaru countered.

"Ok" Kiba made another hand seal and tried again. "The same trick won't work!" Suigetsu yelled and easily dodged another fang over fang. This time however, Kiba turned his attack and headed for the ceiling. A huge hole formed into the roof and Kiba repeated his actions. The whole roof collapsed on them. Shikamaru swiftly dodged the boulders that came his way and leapt back. Sunlight engulfed the whole room. "Huh! Now i know that you guys are weak and crazy!" Suigetsu yelled and shook himself off. "This good enough?" Kiba asked as he returned to Shikamaru's side.

"Perfect!" He answered.

Striding forward, Shikamaru took a few kunai and threw them at Suigetsu. As he leapt to avoid them, Shikamaru did quick hand signs and shadows caught him.  
"Argh! I can't move my body! What is this!?" After a few colourful words, Suigetsu stopped moving and glared at Shikamaru.  
"You bastard! What did you do!?" He yelled.  
"I don't need to explain anything to you." Shikamaru retorted and did a tiger seal. Strands of shadows squeezed Suigetsu's body while Shikamaru held him in place. At last, he was completely covered and went limp. Shikamaru sighed and turned to his partner.

"Let's get going, we need to find Sasuke." Kiba nodded and they turned to leave.

Sakura heard an explosion to her right and jerked her head. She continued walking and observed her surroundings. The ground had changed from earthy to grass. There was moss growing on the walls and the air smelled fresh. Light was up ahead and she followed it. Emerging from the cave, she was in a wide clearing. In the middle, silhouetted from the sun was a figure. Her eyes widened as the memories of the past haunted her. A whispered word left her throat as the figure turned around.  
"Sasuke-kun..."

I finished! Oh my god! This took me such a long time! My next update will be on Tuesday, though i may update sooner. Please review and tell me what you think. I really like reviews! Criticism would be nice cuz i wanna improve! :)

~Thejollyhyuga 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Battle

just so people know i didn't take Naruto Shippuden plot into consideration when i was writing this fiction so a few things will be different in this fic. Also, I'd like to give a huge thanks to YungHime and Ayrmed for reviewing! ^_^  
Ps: i just watched frozen. It was awesome! I love little Olaf!

Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto. Me own Naruto drawings. Lots of 'em.

Ino leaped back just before a paper bomb exploded at her feet. Yamato, Shino and Choji stopped behind her and took out their weapons. Once the smoke had cleared, a tall woman stood in front of the team. She had blazing red hair that was tame on the right side, but wild on the left. Glasses framed her face along with a vicious smile. She wore a zip up purple shirt and shorts. Beside her was an army of Zetsu.

"No one is going past this point." She spoke calmly.

"Not if we can help it! And get a haircut. That hairstyle sucks!" Ino exclaimed while wagging a fist in the other girl's face.

She scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Why you Bitch! Zetsu! Kill them all!"  
Don't order us around, Karin." One of them scoffed. The creatures moved forward in a dazed like state and Ino backed away, disgusted. Shino, Yamato and Choji stepped forward.

"We'll take care of them, you go after that girl." Yamato ordered.

"Got it!" Ino pulled out kunai from her weapons pouch and threw them in Karin's direction. Said women easily dodged them and threw another paper bomb in Ino's direction. Jumping back, Ino took a flower from her pouch and launched it in Karin's direction. Karin dodged it but the flower exploded and poisonous gas filled the air. Ino motioned for Shino, Choji and Yamato to back away. Karin coughed and breathed in some of the fumes as did a few of the Zetsu. She became paralyzed with an annoyed expression on her face. Ino made a single hand seal and pointed her entwined fingers at Karin. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Karin's expression widened and changed instantly as Ino's body went limp. She took out a few paper bombs and started wrapping them around her body. After covering herself, she took a deep breath and made the tiger seal. Explosions were created all over Karin's body and when the smoke cleared, all that could be seen was ripped open flesh and carcass. Choji ran to Ino's body and desperately shook her.

"Ino! What did you do! Answer me!" He cried. Her eyes fluttered open and she grinned. "I'm alive!" Ino chirped.

"Don't ever do that again!" Choji sniffled twice and hugged her. "Haha! Don't worry! I won't!" Ino smiled and returned his hug. Yamato and Shino had finished their batch of zombies and rushed to the two hugging friends.

"That was really reckless, Ino." Yamato sighed. "Ahaha! Well, i had to kill the bitch" She laughed nervously and scratched her head. Suddenly, a Zetsu crawled behind Ino and raised a kunai. Choji noticed and shoved Ino behind him just as the hand came down. Choji waited for the sting to come but found none. He looked up go see that bugs were crawling all over the clamped hand. White Zetsu screamed as the bugs completely covered him. "That was close." Choji sighed.

"You two okay?" Yamato rushed up to them.

"Yes, Thanks, Shino!" Ino said, breathless. Shino nodded and spoke, "We should get going. We still haven't found Sasuke."

"Agreed. Let's go team." Yamato said.

* * *

Tenten, Neji and Gai had a pretty quiet route. That was until they ran into a phsyco. Neji dodged another punch and leapt back. Tenten threw deadly weapons in Jugo's direction. They were all dodged by his humongous arm. Gai came from behind and started a volley of punches and kicks to Jugo's face but he blocked all of them. Jugo grabbed Gai's leg and swung him around, letting go after a few circles. Neji caught his flying sensei just in time. _Even though there are three of us, we haven't made a scratch on him!_ He narrowed his eyes and strained his Byakugan.

"Gai sensei! What should we do?"

"Hm... This is a tough opponent. If only Lee was here! Tenten, distract him with weapons while Neji and I go from behind." Nodding at her teacher's command, Tenten unravelled a scroll from her pouch and started summoning various types of deadly weapons that could skewer even the toughest opponents. "Hahahaha! Is this all you got! Give me more!" Jugo screamed and laughed like a maniac. He crouched low and got ready to face all those weapons.  
Tenten however was not planning to let all of her tools fly. She pulled back a few with chakra strings and hid them out of sight. Releasing all the other strings, she waited for Jugo to catch the bait. Sure enough, he did. Sidestepping each of those weapons easily, Jugo started to look up to give another snide remark to the idiot throwing such obvious projectiles when he was met with a very spiky chain ball, right to the face. The blow sent him flying in the air, where another weapon was waiting for him. This time, it was a huge hammer. How the hell that thing got there he had no idea. Not like he cared at the moment. It slammed him in the back, sending him spiralling for the ground where a shinobi waited.  
Just before Jugo hit the ground, Neji gave him a good palm strike right in the middle of his chest. He was thrown back at Gai, who gave him a good punch in the gut and finally in the head. He fainted, and Gai grinned, shining his teeth. "This battle was most youthful! Let us continue!" Neji went over to the body and kneeled down beside it. "Well, he's dead. Just to make sure, Tenten," He held up a hand and Tenten handed him a kunai. Taking the blade, Neji plunged it into Jugo's heart.  
Wiping his hands off, he stepped over the bleeding mess and strode to the exit. "Let's go. We need to find Sasuke."  
Tenten and Gai both nodded and followed him.

Lee was still lying on the ground, exhausted when his teammates arrived at the battlefront. Tenten's eyes widened when she saw the green beast sprawled on the floor and rushed to him. Checking Lee's pulse, she sighed with relief and turned him over, creating a few hand seals and laying her hands on his chest. Soft green chakra enveloped her hands and Lee's expression went from pained to soothed in an instance. Neji activated his bloodline and checked Lee's chakra system. "Looks like he used 4 of the gates, Gai sensei."  
Gai's eyes widened, and then narrowed at the same time. He marched up to Lee just as he opened his eyes and smacked him hard in the face. Lee went flying in the opposite direction.  
"Lee!" Tenten's eyes widened.  
Gai ran to Lee's body and started crushing it to death. "Lee my boy! You made me worry so much!" After being crushed to death, Lee was finally able to breath and he told his story. Neji nodded and told what happened to them. After the exchange, Lee managed to get up but Tenten stopped him.  
"You aren't going anywhere yet. Let me heal you." She forced him to lie back and started the process of healing.  
Neji sat down beside Tenten and sighed._This is gonna take a long time._

* * *

"Sasuke-kun..." Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes after finally seeing her beloved so close. He turned around and looked at her with indifference. Obsidian eyes showed nothing but coldness. His poster was tense but Sakura was blind to all of this. The only thing swirling in her mind was that he was there, waiting for her. She reached out a hand, and smiled. "Sasuke-kun, please come back! Everyone is waiting for you. I'm waiting for you." She pleaded.

"Sakura, eh? I would have preferred to kill Naruto first but you'll do. After all, you are my old teammate."

"Eh?" Sakura's questioning look amused Sasuke. _Let's see how long i can torture her for._

"Please look away from the darkness, Sasuke-kun! You don't have to stay there! Come with us! With me."  
_Why won't he listen? Can't he see how much i care?_ Sakura's eyes went as wide as saucers when Sasuke's cold face turned into a vicious smirk. "Get away from the darkness?! I live for it! What do you think, that it's so simple to turn away?!" He ran towards her and grabbed her throat. Sakura clutched his hand in an effort for him to let go, but it was futile. Tears poured down Sakura's eyes as her breath left her. _No... This is not the Sasuke-kun i knew.  
_Suddenly, a sharp blade whizzed by Sasuke's ear followed by a well-aimed punch. He stumbled back and strong hands grabbed Sakura's limp body and leapt away. Crimson eyes met cerulean as they narrowed considerably. "Naruto" Sasuke growled clenching his hand. The blond shinobi handed Sakura to Hinata's awaiting arms. Hinata gently put Sakura down and started pouring chakra into her. Naruto winced as he surveyed Sakura's body. Her cheeks were completely stained with tears and red marks covered her throat. Naruto turned to the villain that did such damage to his precious friend. "Sasuke, you've gone too far this time!" Sasuke chest rumbled with malicious laugher. "Too far? Who are you to order me around! She is a useless idiot that should have learned her lesson a long time ago. I hold no such feelings for her." Sasuke's taunting smirk added to Naruto's anger.  
His eyes changed from cool cerulean to blood red. His teeth turned into sharp fangs and the whisker marks on Naruto's face blackened. He clenched his hand into a fist and growled. "I can guarantee you won't get away from this unscathed. I will bring you back to Konoha, ripped to pieces..., or dead. Take you pic."

Yay! A cliff-hanger! I'm gonna go hide now. If you liked this chapter, Review! If you don't like it... Well, Review! :P

Ps: The next chapter is called Friend and there will be big changes. It will take me some time to type it so I'm not sure when I'll post it. However, it will be before the New Year.

~Thejollyhyuga


	5. Chapter 5

Hullo! I'm back! This chapter is a good one. It's a little belated Christmas gift from me to you. Huge thanks to Ayrmed, YungHime and Guests for reviewing. Oh yeah Merry Christmas everybody!

Disclaimer: yeah, I wish...

Chapter 5: Friends

In a flash, Naruto was behind Sasuke with a fist aimed at his back. The avenger turned around just in time to catch Naruto's hand and twisted it around. Naruto winced and leapt back, creating a bunch of hand seals. Bunshin erupted from the smoke and charged at Sasuke. One of them made an upper-cut to Sasuke's face but he dodged it and punched the clone in the gut. It exploded in smoke and another clone came from behind Sasuke. It got elbowed hard in the gut and was sent tumbling back, eventually exploding. In front of Sasuke, another clone advanced with a kunai in hand. Sasuke pulled out his sword and dodged the kunai, thrusting a strike in his chest. The real Naruto emerged from the smoke created and punched Sasuke hard in the face. He tumbled back a few feet and crashed into a wall. Rubble fell around Sasuke as he stood up, Sharingan activated.

Hinata gently laid Sakura down and poured some chakra on her chest. She looked at the kunouchi's face and smiled. "Sakura-san, crying won't do anything. I know you love Sasuke-kun and I want you to be happy. But in this state, you can't convince him. You need to stand up and fight." She squeezed Sakura's hand and wiped her tears away. Sakura smiled bitterly.

"I agree. Thank you, Hinata." She grunted and got up but Hinata quickly pushed her down.

"Your breathing is severe, Sakura-san, please rest, Naruto-kun and I will take care of Sasuke-kun." With a reassuring smile, Hinata let go of Sakura's hand and stood up. "I'll be back."

Naruto panted and narrowed his eyes. Even though he had given his all in that punch, not a hint of pain showed in Sasuke's indifferent face. He brushed himself off and took out his katana. Naruto pulled out a kunai and the two rivals charged at each other. Both blades collided with immense force but neither let go. Eventually, Naruto's kunai broke and he was forced to jump back. Sasuke quickly took this opportunity and parried his blade forward, just under Naruto's chin. He smirked but that quickly vanished when Sasuke felt a threat just behind him. He forcibly dropped his blade at Naruto's feet and leapt away before Hinata could skewer him with her gentle fist. Hinata quickly retrieved Sasuke's blade and rushed to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" She asked.

"Hinata! What are you doing! You shouldn't be here. Where is Sakura?" Naruto started blabbering.

"I healed Sakura-san and let her rest. I came to help you!" She answered.

"I don't need help! I can take care of that bastard on my own."

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but like it or not, I'm going to help you." Hinata's determined claim shocked Naruto. Who knew shy heiress was stubborn?

"Hinata, I have to fix this alone. This is my problem, not yours." He said concern on his face.

"Nothing can be done alone, Naruto-kun. I'll help you even if you don't need it."

They had a staring competition for a while until Naruto groaned. "Alright! But stay behind me ok?"  
Hinata narrowed her eyes and smiled.  
"Hai!" They both stood up and charged at Sasuke together. Naruto ran straight for him while Hinata went from behind. Sasuke eyed both of them with his active sharingan. He decided to charge at his blond rival first. Hinata took this chance to gather chakra in her hands.

Naruto blocked Sasuke's punch and brought his knee up to Sasuke's gut. Sasuke used his other hand to block the bony knee. Now, all of Naruto's limbs were in use. He brought his leg up to hit Naruto in the face...only to be smacked hard in the face by a blazing fist. The impact made Sasuke fly back and crash into another boulder, this time way faster and harder. When the smoke cleared, Hinata stood there with one hand outstretched and the other aimed at Sasuke's heart. If it wasn't for Susano, he would have been dead. Hinata brought her fist forward but met hard bone instead of soft flesh. Her hand penetrated through the hard bone of Sasuke's Susano and stopped just a millimetre before his chest. She quickly extracted her hand out of the skeleton and jumped back. Sasuke panted heavily and got up. _I underestimated her. She's quite strong. I'm gonna have to watch out for those chakra filled hands_.  
Naruto was shocked. In a matter of minutes, Hinata had done more damage to Sasuke than he had in quite some time. Her fists were enveloped deeply with Chakra in the face of lions.

"Naruto-kun, have you finished preparing for your sage-mode?" She asked. "Huh? Oh, yeah! I have." He closed his eyes and released the clone he had hidden earlier. Orange rimmed his eyes and his pupils became horizontal.

"Let's do this!" He narrowed his eyes and charged at Sasuke. Sasuke got ready to block

Naruto's punch but he clearly underestimated Sage-mode's strength. Naruto's first went right through Sasuke's ultimate defence and into Sasuke's face. He stumbled back but quickly regained his balance. A huge skeletal hand came down on Naruto but he dodged it. Naruto jumped back and Hinata leaped from behind him. She struck her palm right in the middle of Sasuke's defence and it tore. Sasuke quickly backed up and started making hand seals. Searing hot fire blasted from his throat straight at Hinata. She quickly made a few hand seals of her own. Her palms that once held blazing lions turned into small beams of brilliant blue chakra. She waved them around in circular motion. The beams left trails of blue light everywhere. Soon there was a  
Dome surrounding her. "Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!" The fireball hit the surface of Hinata's defence and immediately dispersed. Sasuke's eyes widened. What the hell is that Jutsu!?  
Naruto grinned. _That's amazing!_  
"Hinata!" She looked back and nodded. Releasing her Jutsu, Hinata stepped aside and Naruto rushed forward, Rasenshuriken in hand. Sasuke quickly released his Susano and prepared to dodge Naruto's attack. Naruto threw the huge shuriken at Sasuke's direction. He quickly side-stepped but the huge ball expanded further. Sasuke was quickly caught in the blast. There was a huge explosion and Naruto anxiously waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, Sasuke stood there, a hand covering his bleeding eye. His Mangekyo Sharingan was activated. "Time to get serious." He muttered. His eyes took a reddish glow and Sasuke glowered, "Amaterasu!" Suddenly, black fire erupted at Naruto's feet. He jumped back and started running. Hinata followed his actions and ran the opposite way. It seemed that Sasuke's aim was not so good. Each one if his blows were easily dodged by Naruto. Frustrated, he decided to go for a hopefully easy target. He was proved wrong. Hinata dodged every single one of his attacks with grace and fluid movement. He stopped to catch his breath but turned around quickly to dodge an incoming punch. Naruto quickly used his other hand to occupy Sasuke as Hinata struck him from behind. They both jumped back and got their attacks ready. Hinata's hands once again turned into beautiful lions while Naruto held a brilliant ball of blue chakra. They both charged at a panting Sasuke. He quickly activated the strongest Susano he could muster and waited for the blow. When their attacks met, a flash of blinding light filled the battle scene. Sasuke's defence was ripped to shreds and both blows struck him. Naruto and Hinata panted heavily but naruto smiled. "We make a great team! Hinata." She returned his smile and nodded. They examined Sasuke's body. Tear wounds were all over it and muscle and tissue was ripped out. It was quite an unpleasant sight. Having used an immense amount of chakra, Hinata failed to activate her Byakugan to check Sasuke's body. Instead, she knelt down to check his pulse and sighed. "He's still alive. Looks like this mission is a success." The fatigue of over exertion caught up with Hinata and forced her to go on her knees. Naruto quickly caught her before she could collapse. "Whoa! You ok, Hinata?"  
"I'm alright..." She murmured, dazed. Naruto smiled and slung her arm over his shoulder. "Let's get you to Sakura-chan." She nodded and they both walked back.

Red eyes opened widely and surveyed their surroundings. Sasuke groaned quietly and turned his head. He saw Naruto and Hinata walking back slowly. Anger and hatred filled his mind and clouded his eyes. _Why him? Why is he so strong? This isn't over yet!_ He lifted his head and focussed his Mangekyo on a single point, Naruto's right leg. "Amaterasu..."

Hinata jerked her head up when she felt dangerous chakra approaching fast. Acting without thinking, she shoved Naruto away from herself. "Wh-" Naruto watched in shock as Hinata pushed him away and winced in pain. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Searing pain shot up her leg and Hinata stumbled, falling down. She bit her lip to hold down a scream. It was like someone was pouring lava on her left leg. Her eyes clouded; instantly Naruto was beside her. He saw the black flames and panicked. He had no idea how to extinguish them. Hinata! Hang on!" He started swatting them but no such use. Hinata shook her head to clear the pain and think. A desperate idea formed into her mind and she grabbed Naruto's hand.  
"Naruto-kun...use a rasengan on my leg." she grunted painfully.  
What!? He looked baffled for a moment.  
"Please! Trust me!" Hesitating, he quickly formed a rasengan with the help of a clone and smashed it on Hinata's leg. Surprisingly, the two Jutsu cancelled each other and the flame dispersed. However, the damage was done. The muscle and tissue was ripped to shreds. Blood was all over the leg and still pouring down. The burn was so deep that even the bone had blackened. The pain was too much for Hinata and she fainted. Naruto's eyes widened and he clenched his fists. Taking his sleeve, he ripped off the cuff and started tying Hinata's injured leg. Her unconscious face scrunched up in pain. After tying the cloth around her leg, he carried her away from the field and stood up. "Sasuke!" Naruto's head jerked towards the said shinobi and his eyes turned blood red. In an instant, Naruto was in front of him. He picked him up and growled viciously. "You bastard! What you did to Hinata will never be forgiven!" He gave a well-aimed punch to the gut and Sasuke grunted in pain. Naruto punched Sasuke square in the face and he was sent tumbling. Just before Sasuke could hit the pavement, Naruto was there, both arms interlocked and ready. This time, he slammed his hands on Sasuke's chest and he crashed down, creating a huge crater. Naruto was there, grabbing a hold of Sasuke's collar, fist aimed at his face. "Any last words?" He asked almost mockingly. Bangs were covering Sasuke's eyes, his expression blank. "Why..." He whispered so hoarsely that Naruto had to lean even closer to hear. "Why is it that you grew so strong? It was me who abandoned you. Me who got the Mangekyo. So why is it that you are stronger than me?" Sasuke yelled anger on his face. Naruto stayed silent for a moment before answering. "It's because i have people to protect. People precious to me. Friends that care about me. You can't do everything alone, Sasuke. You are bound to fail if you do. When you have something to protect, someone to cherish, then you grow stronger." Sasuke's eyes widened at Naruto's answer. Friends! That's what made him strong? I'm no match... He whispered quietly "i lose..." Naruto's eyes softened in understanding but narrowed again. "What you did to Sakura-chan and Hinata is unforgivable! How do you plan to fix it!?" He yelled. Sasuke answered after a few moments. "I'll repent in Konoha." Naruto let go of his collar and glared at his former friend. "Oh you are going to Konoha alright!" He spat.

"Naruto!" He turned around to see Sakura running towards him with the rest of the group. Everyone gathered around Sasuke and Naruto. Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes when she saw Sasuke. No matter what he did, she just couldn't bring herself to hate him. "Where's Hinata?" Neji started to activate his Byakugan but Naruto stopped him. His eyes were full of pain. "I couldn't protect her" he whispered. He led them to a little boulder in the battle field. Hinata was propped against the wall, unconscious. The wound had bled through the cloth binding and blood was pouring down. Sakura's eyes widened and she quickly crouched down beside her. "What happened?" She asked as she carefully removed the bandage to look. Lee's eyes widened at the familiarity. Sakura's breath left her as she looked at the damage. There was nothing she could do. Hinata needed to be at Konoha hospital. She took a roll of bandage from her pack and quickly started wrapping it around the wound. "The bleeding has stopped so there will be no further damage but we need to get her to Konoha. She'll die otherwise." Sakura informed. Kakashi nodded and quickly assigned Sakura Naruto and Neji in charge of carrying Hinata. "Everyone else, let's move out. We have to make the path clear for Hinata. I'll carry Sasuke." Everyone nodded and got to work. Naruto gently held Hinata in bridal style and Kakashi slung Sasuke's body over his shoulder.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama! There's news." Shizune barged into the Hokage's office frantically. An angry look crossed the plump blond women's face.  
"What is it?" She asked, annoyed.  
"They have returned! And they brought a really damaged patient." Tsunade's face grew serious. She quickly got up and headed out the door with Shizune in tow.

Tsunade stopped when she surveyed the hospital entrance. The whole group had returned. Kakashi was standing awkwardly with an unconscious Sasuke. Sakura was shouting at the lady in the reception desk to get them a hospital bed. But the most ruckus was around Naruto. Everyone was gathered around him, or rather something in his arms. Tsunade pushed aside various members of their team and strode forward. Everyone else automatically moved. She looked at Naruto's sad face then looked down at the small form in his arms. Hinata was curled up and unconsciously clutching Naruto's shirt. When Tsunade saw her leg, she snapped to medical mode.  
"Someone get me a stretcher NOW! You! Prepare a room for several injured shinobi and you, clear out everyone else. You! Prepare a room for operation. Everyone else, get to work." She snapped orders left and right. Everyone obeyed and the Konoha hospital became a huge rush.

Team 7 had a bruised Sakura, a miserable Naruto and a really battered, unconscious Sasuke. Team 10 had a perfect Ino, Perfect Choji and complaining Shikamaru. Team Gai had a perfect Tenten, an anxious Neji and a thoughtful Lee. Team 8 had an okay Kiba, ok Shino but a very hurt Hinata. Tsunade allowed no one near her ward. After getting checked out, Team 10 had given their wishes to Hinata and left. Tenten had left too but Neji and Lee stayed. All members of Team 8 were present along with Naruto and Sakura. Everyone waited anxiously outside Hinata's ward. Lee was unusually quiet. Sakura felt bad for him and decided to attempt a conversation. "Lee-san, you can go home, I will deliver the news to you." She said. Lee shook his head. "I know what it's like to lose a leg. I want to stay by Hinata-san and hope for the best!"  
"Lee..." Neji was touched and allowed just a silver of a smile to cross his face.  
Suddenly, the ward door opened and Tsunade emerged from it, solemn. She looked at the people in the room and decided to tell them all.

"I haven't told this to Hinata yet ... but I believe her career as a shinobi... is over."

Review!

~Thejollyhyuga


	6. Chapter 6 Decision

Chapter 6: Decision

I'm back! I think i scared a lot of people with my ending of the last chapter. Let's see what happens! Happy New Year everyone! I don't have a resolution but it would probably be to eat more. :3

Disclaimer: Nope

Recap: I haven't told Hinata this yet... But i believe her career as a shinobi is over.

The room was silent for some time before Neji finally spoke. "What do you mean?" He glowered angrily. Tsunade sighed and held up a hand.  
"I ran a few tests and looked at the damage myself. Her muscles have been ripped to shreds along with half of the bone. Her nerves have been burned beyond repair. There is no way to repair her leg." 

"But wouldn't her body try to repair the damage itself?" Neji asked. 

"Normally, Yes. However, the Jutsu used on her leg was Amaterasu. It burned all her chakra points and important nerve cells. The only way to fix this... Is to cut her leg off and replace it with a prosthetic leg instead."

"May I see her?" The concern in Neji's voice was surprisingly obvious. The stoic shinobi rarely showed emotion in public. Tsunade's eyes softened and a slight smile twitched at her lips. "Of course. The rest of you can see her too but under any circumstances do NOT mention her leg wound, got it?" She sternly looked at every person in the room. They all nodded quickly. 

"Alright I'll be going." With that, Tsunade left.

"I need to visit her. What are the rest of you gonna do?" Neji asked. Sakura quickly stood up. 

"I'm going to visit... Sasuke-kun." She mumbled, glancing at Naruto. He smiled at her. "Don't worry Sakura-chan! I don't mind." She nodded gratefully and quickly hurried off.

"Huh, that's an obvious lie, Naruto." Neji scoffed.  
Naruto stayed quite. "I don't really have a choice." He muttered. 

"We will wait here." Shino answered for himself and Kiba.

The door opened quietly and a tall figure stepped into the cold room. Hinata seemed asleep but Neji knew that was just an act. He could almost see the million thought trailing into her mind. 

"Hinata-sama," he quietly spoke to announce his presence. Her head quickly snapped up and she smiled. 

"Neji-nii-san!" Her pearlescent orbs shined brightly at seeing his face. Neji smiled and pulled a chair beside her bed. 

"How are you?" He asked. 

"Alright" She answered quietly. _Obviously not._ Neji chose to ignore her gloomy voice, instead focusing on another topic. "Tsunade-sama told me you will be getting out of the hospital in a week or so. Shall we continue our regular training when you are dismissed?" A gentle smiled escaped Neji's lips and Hinata's heart swelled. Even though here was no possible way for her to be fully active, he was still willing to try. She clutched his hand and smiled softly. "Of course."  
For the next few hours, both cousins sat in blissful silence, relishing this rare chance to peacefully be together without anyone interrupting.

Neji looked at the clock and scowled. It was time for him to leave. Reluctantly, he let go of Hinata's hand and stood up. Lavender orbs started at him quizzically. "I need to get going." He sighed. Puzzled, Hinata turned her head to look at the beautiful sunset glowing through the window. Her eyes widened. 

"Oh! I kept you for such a long time. Sumimase, Ni-san!" 

"Don't be, Hinata-sama. It was my choice to stay this long in the first place." He gave her one of his rare smiled and quietly left. Hinata sighed lightly. Thankfully, she had been able to keep her fear out of their conversation. Truthfully, she was scared. Having been medically trained under Tsunade before, Hinata knew perfectly that her leg had sustained too much damage and there was no way for her to fix it. She had built up courage and prepared for the worst, but Tsunade never mentioned anything about her leg. Too shy to ask, Hinata had remained quite as her courage ebbed away by the minute. She was grateful to Neji. Not once had he mentioned her injury, instead, focusing in cheering her up. A slight knock on the door halted her trailing thoughts. _Who could it be? _She wondered. When the door slid open at her quite approval, Hinata's eyes widened slightly. Lee quietly took a seat beside Hinata. 

"Hello, Lee-san" she smiled at her visitor, wondering why he would visit her. 

"Hello, Hinata-san. How are you?" His voice contained none of the usual cheerfulness he carried. Instead, he had lowered it and spoke like a normal person. Hinata nodded.

"I have been better."

"I see. Is it alright if i visit you again tomorrow?" Lee asked a bit nervous. 

"Of course!" Hinata beamed, glad that someone would be visiting her. "I look forward to it."  
Lee turned his head to look at her and his face brightened immediately. 

"Hai! Hinata-san. I shall visit you tomorrow." He stood and saluted to her before leaving. Hinata giggled. It had been quite unexpected that Lee had visited her. She idly traced circles on her blanket, lost in thought once again. _I wonder if he would visit me. Hinata quickly shook her head. Why would he? All i had done was cause him trouble by passing out. I doubt he would even want to look at me._ Gloomy thoughts filled Hinata's head again but she quickly shook them away_. I should not think like this._ Suddenly, another knock resounded at the door. Puzzled, Hinata murmured a soft enter. The door opened to reveal the object of her affections. 

"N-Naruto-kun!" She spluttered. Surprise filled her mind. 

"Hello, Hinata." He spoke softly and sat down beside her. "What'ya doing?" He asked. 

"Nothing really." She muttered, a soft smile adorning her lips. Naruto's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her beautiful face. Those lavender orbs of hers really mesmerized him. In a dazed state, his hand moved to her face to caress her cheeks just to find out if they were as soft as they looked. "Naruto-kun?" Hinata's soft voice snapped him out of his daze. He shook his head and focused on her face to see her in cute puzzlement. He laughed at her expression, making her blush a few shades of red. 

"I came to see if you were doing well." He said, still smiling. 

"I'm alright." Hinata muttered. A permanent blush graced her cheeks. 

"That's good to know" Naruto muttered. His previous laugh had left him and only empty silence remained. Blond locks covered his eyes. "I'm sorry... It's my entire fault." He murmured. 

"Eh?" Hinata was puzzled. Why would Naruto blame himself for something he never was responsible for? 

"If i had noticed sooner, i could have saved you. You had to protect me instead. If only-" Hinata quickly silenced him. 

"Naruto-kun, please don't blame yourself. It was my decision to protect you." 

"But why did you! If you hadn't done that... You would have never lost your leg." His fists tightened and he lowered his head. 

"I did it because you are...precious to me, Naruto-kun. Also, what kind of friend would i be if i couldn't even protect you?" Naruto's eyes widened at her statement. _She considered him a friend!_

"Arigato, Hinata" Naruto smiled. 

"Of course, Naruto-kun." Hinata beamed. An idea formed into Naruto's mind. "Ne Hinata, do you like ramen?" He asked her. 

"Yes, i do." Hinata responded softly. Naruto's smile turned into a grin. He made a few hand seals and 2 clones poofed into the room, startling Hinata.  
He handed them a hastily scribbled note and shooed them off. They saluted to Hinata and jumped out of the window.  
In a matter of minutes, both clones returned with steaming bowls of ramen. One of them handed a bowl to Hinata while the other gave a huge tray to Naruto. He released them both and grinned. "Instant Ramen! Enjoy, Hinata."  
A giggle escaped the young woman's mouth as she gladly accepted the dish. Both of them ate in peace, Naruto slurping away loudly and Hinata delicately taking a few bites at a time.

A slight yawn escaped Hinata's lips as she set her bowl down. 

"Thank you so much, Naruto-kun!" She smiled. 

Naruto's cheeks tinted red and he looked away, muttering something silently. 

"Well! You must be tired, Hinata. I'll come by and visit again." Naruto stood up and stretched. Hinata nodded and burrowed under her covers. The blond shinobi looked at Hinata's sleeping form and smiled. I'll definitely come and visit again. He walked across the room, turned off the lights and led himself out, closing the door behind him. Immediately, he was bombarded with complains and questions. 

"Why did it take you so long? We need to visit her now." Kiba whined. Naruto scratched his cheek and laughed nervously. "Well, we talked and talked until it was quite late and Hinata was tired. Ahaha..." Shino stepped forward and spoke slowly. "Tomorrow, we visit her first. Got it?" For an emphasis, a few of his bugs crawled out of his body and on Naruto, who shrieked and shook them away. "Got it!" He stepped away slowly and ran for his life.

Hinata's eyes were wide open. She hadn't slept a wink since Naruto left. All she could think about was their conversation_. Naruto-kun gave me courage. Just because I have a broken leg, it does not mean the rest of my body is dead. I will definitely work hard to compensate for that leg! _With those thought of determination in her mind, Hinata closed her eyes and went into a deep slumber.

Sakura quickly walked down the endless hallways of the Konoha hospital, eventually arriving in one of the more secluded ones. Turning down another hallway she walked straight and stood in front of s door guarded by two Anbu. She stated her name and showed them her ID. They nodded once to her and let the pink haired kunouchi in. Only a few members of Konoha were allowed to visit Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura was fortunately one of them. She slowly walked inside the dark room. Sakura flipped the switch on the wall next to her and a dull light filled the room. There, at the far corner of the room, she saw her beloved on the hospital bed, blind folded and chained. Sakura walked towards him in a dazed like state. She stopped about an arms width away and studied his handsome face. It had been years; years since she last touched him. She slowly traced the outline of his face with her finger, assuming he was asleep. She flinched when a hand suddenly grabbed hers. "S-Sasuke-kun, please let go." She whispered, afraid he might break her hand. Surprisingly, he obliged and released his steel grip. Sakura reached into her pack and pulled out a small bentou. She put it next to his table and took a deep breath. "Sasuke-kun, please eat this bentou. You haven't eaten anything for a long time." 

"I don't want to eat anything. Leave me alone." His cold voice pierced Sakura's heart and she winced, silent tears forming her eyes. She obeyed his wish and stood up. Striding towards the door, she flicked of the light and closed the door, glancing at his face just once more. After exiting, Sakura walked dejectedly towards the exit. If only he would acknowledge me a bit more... She almost bumped onto her teammate as she turned left into a hallway. 

"Ah! Sakura-chan. Watch where you go." He grinned at her but she only gave him a quite apology. Naruto's face turned serious. "What's wrong? Did Sasuke do something to you?" Sakura quickly shook her head. "No, no. Everything is fine! I was just on my way to eat. Do you want to come?" She asked, hoping to divert his attention. "Well, alright!" Sakura smiled and continued walking forward_. He might not have acknowledged me today, but I'm sure with time, he will!_

Alright! This was a crappy chapter. This one was just a little thingy to get my story going. My next chapter will be published when I'm motivated. To motivate me, you need to review. Tell what you think of my story and what i could do better. Me like reviews. :D

~Thejollyhyuga


	7. Chapter 7

I'm back! It took me a long time to think about this chapter. Just to let you people know that i was originally supposed to update every Saturday. Since it was winter break for me, i updated faster. However, after this update, it will go back to every Saturday. I know, sad! Dear me! I completely forgot to do this last time. Huge thanks to Ayrmed, YungHime, Bloop, Kika04 and DotheRoar2012 for reviewing!

Disclaimer: i own a balloon that i drew a face on. Nothing else. 

Chapter 7: Choice

Soft light penetrated through the paper walls of the Hyuga compound. Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the clan sat cross legged, observing a scroll of great importance. The crease lines around his face were becoming even more visible over the years. He glanced at the small scroll in front of him. So fragile, yet it held the contract that would run the Hyuga clan's future. A knock resounded at the door, making the old man look up. "Enter" He commanded, putting up his stern mask of indifference. A servant slid open the door just a centimetre. "Hyuga-sama, news has arrived of Hinata-sama and Neji-sama. They have both returned from their mission. However... Hinata-sama has been injured badly. She may not be able to remain a shinobi." Hiashi silently sucked in his breath. "Is this all true?" He asked daring the servant to repeat his words. He shifted uneasily under the glare of his leader. "H-hai, Hyuga-sama." He uttered nervously.  
"I see... You may leave now." The servant bowed to Hiashi once more and closed the door, leaving quickly.  
This is bad. Several thoughts rushed through the leader's head as he quietly got up and slid open the door behind him. Cool air swept into the room, calming Hiashi. He walked into the beautiful garden and looked around. It had been his wife's favourite place to be. He had so many memories of her and him walking through that garden before she passed away. Fresh sprigs of different type of flowers erupted from the rich soil on the ground. Long poles were lined up along a wall with bright green vines swirling around them. Fresh grapes burst from the buds. It was a beautiful garden, peaceful, quiet and filled with warm sunlight. Only Hiashi and his daughters were allowed to even know about this beauty. A memory flashed through Hiashi's mind, making him smile just a bit.

"Tou-san, where are we going?" Curios little Hinata clutched her father's calloused fingers as he led her deeper into the Hyuga compound, a place where she had not been yet. Walking a few steps, they came upon a door to the right of the hallway they were walking in. Hiashi gently shifted Hinata's soft fingers to his opposite hand and slid open the door. They both entered a small room filled with scrolls and important papers. Hiashi quietly closed the door and watched his daughter examine the room with her sharp eyes. Even though she was only four, her observing skills and analyzing skills were quite high. Hinata walked around the oddly cluttered room. "So is this where Tou-san hides when he does not want to be found?" The innocent guess brought a smile to Hiashi's face. "No, Hinata. This is where I do most of my work as a clan leader. No one bothers me here so it's easier to work." Hinata's face lit up as she understood her father.  
"So why am i here, Tou-san?" Her lavender orbs waited expectedly for her father to reveal her surprise.  
Hiashi smiled and offered her his hand. "Come with me." She obliged and grabbed his hand firmly. Hiashi led her to the other side of the room and opened the door in front of them. The morning sunlight took a time to adjust to. After a few blinks, Hinata shifted her eyes to see on front of her. It was a beautiful garden. Fresh and green. In the middle of the garden was a circular glass table, with four chairs. One of them was occupied by a beautiful woman. She had long dark lavender hair, similar to Hinata's. She had soft lavender eyes and a rounded face. She wore a dark blue kimono with light blue patterns on it. A small bundle rested in her arms. Hinata's eyes widened at the sight before her.  
"Okaa-san!" She ran up to the said women and wrapped her arms around her legs. The Hyuga matriarch smiled down at her daughter. "Hinata, how have you been?" The child smiled brightly and looked up.  
"Really good! Where were you all this time okaa-san?" Hinata asked a slight pout on her face. "Well...i was a bit sick so i had to stay in the hospital along with your littler sister." Hinata beamed up at her mother and held her chubby arms out, wanting to hold her little sister. Her mother obliged and gave the bubbling bundle to Hinata. Holding her little sister carefully, Hinata smiled up at her father. "This is the best surprise i have ever had!"

How carefree she was then...Hiashi's had always blamed himself for her meek and shy personality. Ever since her mother died, just looking at her innocent face sprouted memories of his wife and ripped open fresh wounds. He had shunned her completely and kept a secure mask of indifference. It took a toll on Hinata, making her think her father never loved her. Hiashi closed the garden door and silently strode towards a desk in the middle of the room. Taking the scroll on top, he wrapped it up and tucked it inside one of the sleeves of his kimono. He opened slid open the entrance door and left quietly.

Hinata flinched as bright sunlight disrupted her blissful sleep. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked around. Memories of the previous night rushed into her head, making her remember why she was in this hospital bed. A knock resounded on the door and a nurse stepped into the room. She smiled at Hinata, and informed her that the Hokage will be arriving to check up on her in a minute. She nodded and dismissed the nurse. As soon as the woman opened the door, two more figures entered the room. "Hinata!" Kiba rushed to her side followed by an equally worried Shino.  
Relief and happiness washed over her at finally seeing her friends. "Kiba-kun, Shino-kun!" She shifted herself and sat up. Akamaru bounded up and put his head on her lap, purring slightly. She smiled and rubbed his head gently. Kina and Shino both sat down. "Tell us what happened." Shino asked. Hinata went silent. Ever since she had returned, no one had even though to ask her of the details of what had happened. Apparently they thought she was in some kind of trauma. They though hat Uchiha Sasuke had completely traumatized her and she had been helpless while he injured her. It irritated her. She took a deep breath and started telling them.

"I see... You did a good job Hinata." Kiba smiled and ruffled her hair a bit. Hinata giggled freely, without a care.  
"Well...how about a good game of cards?" Shino suggested. He pulled out a deck from his pocket. Hinata smiled and nudged Akamaru to move. He whined. Hinata's lap was too comfortable. "Come on Akamaru. I need to play cards. Just move to the other side." Taking her suggestion, the huge dog shifted over, leaving enough room for Kiba to put down Hinata's pair of cards. For the next two hours, the trio played a good game of cards. Each round was won by Hinata. Once, Shino came close but she still won. "Argh! Why are you so good at this! Another round. I'll definitely win this one." Kiba muttered. "You can try, Kiba-kun. But i doubt you would beat me." Hinata laughed. "I bet you use the Byakugan!" Kiba pointed a finger at her direction. She smiled. "Why would i cheat?" She asked. Kiba scratched his neck and muttered. "Uh...right."  
The door opened again and a frightful figure stepped into the room. All of the colour drained from Hinata's face at seeing her father standing there. Kiba and Shino stood up and glared back at the Man. Akamaru lifted his head from Hinata's head and growled. However, Hiashi was not in the mood to argue.  
"Would you two please leave me and Hinata alone? I have important matters to discuss with her." He said stiffly. Kiba was about to bark back but Hinata held up a hand. "K-kiba-kun, S-shino-kun, I-it's al-alright." Her hands were practically shaking. Kiba stood his ground but Shino dragged him away.  
"It not our right to interfere." He muttered. Kiba growled and gave up. "Come on Akamaru. Let's go!" Akamaru whined and looked at his master. Hinata smiled kindly and scratched his ear. "Go on Akamaru, you can visit me again later." He barked happily and jumped off the bed, trotting behind his master's steps. Kina closed the door behind him, leaving some privacy between the father and daughter. Hiashi walked forward and sat down stiffly. The tension in the air was thick enough to eat. "H-hello, Otou-sama." Hinata bowed her head slightly in respect. Hiahsi nodded and muttered his greetings.  
"How is your wound?" He asked.  
"I-its getting b-better." She answered. He nodded. "The clan elders expect me to give you some news. Do you want to hear it?" He asked. Hinata looked at him quizzically bit nodded. Hiashi braced himself. What was about to come out of his mouth would cause her great pain. He cursed each and every one of the elders before continuing.  
"I will tell you exactly what they said. If you are not able to continue your shinobi career, they will have no choice to either marry you off to someone that can bear a burden like you or... To put a cursed seal on you."

I just love giving you guys cliffhangers!  
I am going to go and hide somewhere, since i know a lot of people will be after me for doing such mean things to poor Hinata-chan. Well, please review and tell me what you think of this chapter!

~ThejollyHyuga


	8. Chapter 8: Anger

Chapter 8: Anger

I realized that my story is taking a turn in the darkness instead of light so I shall change the genre. Ahaha... please don't kill me!  
Even though I lurve Hinata more than any character, I need to realistically show her problems. So if people think that this is over kill, watch the Naruto series again. I bet you will change your opinion. Here is your long awaited chapter 8! This is a long one to make up for the short one last time! Almost forgot, Big Thanks to Ayrmed, DotheRoar2010, Yunghime, Kika04, Luna-Dara and for reviewing! I love you people! :)

"Eh?" Wide Lavender eyes stared into the depths of dull white. Hiashi cursed himself bitterly. It had been a direct order from the elders to remove the "weakness" of the clan immediately. As much as he would have loved to smack each one of those shitty bastards, he couldn't. Being a clan head gave you nothing but honour and authority among the other Hyuga members. The main power was in the hands of the elders. What they said was law. The only reason there was a clan head in the Hyuga system was because those lazy fools wanted someone to manage the clan and carry out their orders. Hinata's expression of absolute betrayal struck him like a Jyuuken to the heart. She just stared at him for a few moments before speaking.

"W-would y-you g-g-give me s-some t-time to t-think?" Her quite voice was painfully loud in his head as it reminded him of all the things he had done to her and not one word of argument escaped her lips.

"Of course. Your surgery for your leg is supposed to happen today. You will be dismissed tomorrow. I'm sure that's plenty of time to think of an answer."  
Hiashi stood up formally, and left his daughter to think about how to end her life.

Her father's words echoed in her mind even after he had left. Her mind could not register that small bit of information. After a few minutes, her mind soaked up the dreadful information and tears welled up in her eyes. Refusing to cry at something she couldn't prevent, Hinata curled up and buried her head in her arms, shutting her eyes to halt any tears that could escape. Unfortunately, drops of water left her eyes and Hinata caved in, throwing all of her stress and sadness into the waterfall of tears that continued to pour down her cheeks. Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her and she looked up, startled to see soft locks of blond hair covering her vision.

"N-naruto-kun?" Hinata spoke suddenly and Naruto released his strong hold on her. He looked down at her face streaked with tears and more slowly pouring down. His eyes narrowed as he started making plans to demolish whoever that had hurt the sweet angel in front of him.

"What happened?" He asked.  
Hinata looked down for a few moments before talking.

"Otuo-sama...h-he told me that... that the clan elders want me to pick between marrying someone of their choice... Or to bear the cursed seal." She murmured quietly.

"What?" Naruto hissed. Hinata stayed silent, a dazed look in her eyes.

"Those bastards..." The anger in Naruto's voice was frightening to Hinata. He got up suddenly but Hinata grabbed his sleeve before he could reach the Hyuga mansion at his top speed and slam open the doors to cause havoc everywhere.

"P-please don't t-tell N-Neji-ni-san a-about this." She spoke quietly. All his rage dissipated, leaving behind an empty and dismal feeling. He sat down beside Hinata and gently stroked soft strands of lavender. "Alright, i won't. No matter what happens, i promise i won't let anything happen to you." He smiled at her and she returned it. She would delay it as much as possible. Her thoughts were a mess at the moment. She leaned back and closed her eyes, sighing in relief of having emptied out her feelings. She needed to sort out all her thoughts. Naruto took this chance to stand up and exit. After closing the door, he narrowed his eyes. Someone was going to pay for her miserable condition and Naruto knew just the person. Now that he knew Hinata didn't blame him for her loss, his thoughts no longer clouded up with guilt. Instead, anger and hatred settled in his stomach for the one person he was itching to see.

The door opened with a quite click, making Sasuke scowl in annoyance. If it was Sakura again, he would not be able to tolerate it. Not at all. Every time he felt her presence around him, it made him sick. Her scent and presence brought back memories he wished he had buried deeper into his pit of despair. Her bubbling character and sweet voice pained him more than it annoyed him. Unfortunately, the air smelled ridiculously of ramen, making him gag all the more. It was the one person he wished not to see more than Sakura. Not that he could actually _see_. The Anbu bastards had tied him up and blind folded him. His hands were above his head and he was poised in a standing position. All his injuries had healed in record time thanks to the old hag herself working on him. Most likely, she put herself through all that trouble just to see him tied up sooner. He heard the click of a switch signalling that Naruto had turned on the light. No that it mattered. Whether it was dark or bright, he would always be wrapped in an endless void of darkness. He heard footsteps approaching him with forced and even strides. Finally, a deep voice resonated through his ears, surprising him by what it said.  
"It's your fault." Naruto glared at the man before him. He wasn't putting his blame on someone else. He knew that if it wasn't for Sasuke, Hinata never would have suffered.  
Sasuke snorted. "What's my fault?" A lot of things were his fault. Which one Naruto was talking about, he had no idea.  
"If you hadn't aimed that strike at me, Hinata would never have been in that condition!" Naruto was practically yelling by this time. His hatred towards the man in front of him was increasing by the minute.

"Like I give a damn about the prissy Hyuga Heiress."

"She lost her chance to be a shinobi because of you! Do you even care?!" Each word that escaped Naruto's mouth only brought more anger towards the man in front of him. Sasuke sneered at Naruto.

"That's what that bitch deserves. Carrying that Hyuga name around. She will be one of the first to suffer my wrath." A hardened fist slammed into Sasuke's jaw, cracking it and making him jerk his head sideways. "She didn't do anything to ruin your life. The least you could do is be sorry."

"She was the one that got it the way. My strike was aimed at your pathetic form. She was the one who jumped in front." Another fist slammed itself into his gut, making him spill out a small amount of blood. Hitting the shameless man did nothing to quench Naruto's anger. Even so, he grabbed Sasuke's collar and swung his fist back, ready to smack Sasuke's face but slender hands full of strength grabbed his fist and clutched his waist. Naruto halted his movements and turned around to see Sakura's head buried in his back. His back suddenly felt wet from her tears.  
"Please don't hurt him, Naruto! Sasuke-kun just recovered and you might open up some wounds." Her concerns over the poor and innocent Sasuke disgusted Naruto for the first time. "Oh? If he is so fragile then what do you think of Hinata? She lost her life because of him!" Naruto quickly shook off Sakura's grip and grabbed Sasuke's collar. A deep growl emitted from his throat, making Sasuke tense up.

"You listen to me Sasuke. I WILL make you understand Hinata's pain. Even if it means i have to rip your limbs out one by one. Besides, I'm only one of the first people that will come to you." Naruto released his collar and walked past a whimpering Sakura. She had always seen Naruto's anger. However, to see it directed towards her even a little bit scared her to no ends. She turned her head to Sasuke as Naruto left. As he had said, not even a trace of repent or forgiveness adorned his face.

"Sasuke-kun...do you really not care what happens to Hinata?" She whispered.

"I don't" His cold voice sent chills down her spine as more tears welled up in her eyes. She picked up the bentou she had made for him today and slowly walked towards him. She put it down on the table besides his bruised form. She took a few steps back and exited the cold room with another dose of sadness. Every time she was around Sasuke, she would feel happy and jittery. However, all she felt now was an empty sadness, no longing at all. Maybe she should give up on him. With these thoughts echoing inside her mind, the pink haired kunoichi dragged her to wherever her feet directed.

Neji walked through the Hyuga compound, his feet making not sounds as they touched the tatami floor. He turned into the next hallway to see the head of the Hyuga clan walking towards him with silent steps as well. His expression was on that contained tension and sadness. Neji stopped i front of Hiashi and spoke politely.  
"Hyuga-sama, have you met Hinata-sama yet?" Hiashi cringed visibly as memories of his visit to his daughter rushed through his mind.

"Yes...i have. There is something i need to talk to you about, Neji. Perhaps somewhere quiet?" If wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. Neji immediately understood the tone of voice and followed Hiashi to perhaps the only peaceful place in the whole Hyuga compound. Hiashi's small office where he did most of the clan work in peace. They both sat down in on the opposite sides of the table and Neji waited patiently for Hiashi to start talking. He suspected the matter was about Hinata. Hiashi took a deep breath and spoke.

"The clan elders ordered me to let Hinata know what is planned for her future now that she is 'useless'. They gave her a choice to either marry someone of the clan's choice or...bear the clan's cursed seal." The silence in the room was deafening. Neji's face paled and his eyes narrowed.

"What?" He hissed, daring Hiashi to repeat his words. Hiashi expected Neji to lash out at him or to even attempt to kill him. Instead, he directed his anger towards the elders.

"Do those bastards even have any feelings!? How dare them! There is no way I'm going to let this happen."  
Hiashi braced himself for an onslaught of fists.

"I have already told Hinata. She wanted more time to make her decision."

"You told Hinata? Why!? She has already got so much pressure on her." Neji yelled at the top of his lungs. Hiashi winced but he put on a stern face immediately.

"Hinata needs to face reality. She can't hide in the shadows of reassurance forever. She needs to face reality."  
Neji clenched his fists tightly.

"Even though you ignored Hinata for most of her life, i still respected you. Now, i hate you more than any person in this world." Neji stood up and stormed out of the small room. Hiashi sighed and lowered his head. He never felt any regret in making his decisions but today, it was as if the whole world's weight had collapsed on his shoulders just because of one decision. _What am i going to do...?_

Many choices and options ran through Hinata's head, none of them worth trying. She had thought hard about what her father had said to her. Tsunade-sama was supposed to start her surgery in a couple of hours. She could try to run away from the clan. They would hunt her down and she would never have the courage to do so. Then there was Naruto-kun's promise. She didn't know what to do. A loud knocking interrupted her dismal thoughts. Neji opened the door and stuck his head inside.  
"Hinata-sama, can i talk to you?" He said not even bothering to first ask for permission to come in. Hinata nodded and pursed her lips. He couldn't know, No matter what, happened. Already, Neji was worrying about her. He didn't need more things to worry about. He quickly entered and sat down beside her.  
"Hyuga-sama told me about what the clan has though for you..." He said quietly. Hinata's eyes widened. He knew!  
"Ni-san, please don't interfere. It is my battle. I don't want you or anybody else to get hurt." She said pleadingly. Neji sighed and grabbed her soft hands. "Hinata-sama, I have always thought of you as my little sister. What kind of brother will i be if i don't help you? Please tell me how you feel about all of this." His soft and pleading voice broke Hinata's weak protective barrier and she looked down sadly and whispered. "To tell you the truth...I'm scared. I don't want to marry some stranger, nor do i want to bear the cursed seal. I don't know what to do." Neji reached forward and enveloped her in a hug. Hinata lowered her head and clutched Neji's shirt. Soft tears poured through her lavender eyes and Neji tightened his grip on her. He wanted so badly to hide her from this cruel world. To protect her from any harm. But he was nothing against the power of the clan. He would give her whatever peace she needed even if it was for just a moment. Hinata let all her emotions out and choked out a few words.

"W-what do I d-do, Ni-san." Neji looked down at her shaking form and loosened his hold on her. He pulled her away from him and looked into those beautiful lavender orbs.

"Take control of your life, Hinata-sama. Don't let them chose your life for you. Make a stand." Hinata smiled sadly as more tears poured down her eyes.

"If i could do that...i would have d-done it a long time ago." She rested her head on Neji's shoulder and embraced him. Neji clenched his fists. He had always though that Hinata had it easy. That she had been born into the main branch and had no problems. Looking at the crumbling beauty before him, he silently cursed the Hyuga clan and the fate it bestowed upon its members. How lucky he was to be born into the branch of the Hyuga. Hinata's crying had ceased and only soft breathing could be heard. Neji laid Hinata down and pressed a small kiss on her forehead. Only dreams gave her any sort of freedom now. He walked out and grabbed the nearest nurse.

"Hinata-sama is sleeping right now. Please don't let anybody visit her." The nurse nodded. "Of course." Neji exited the main building and headed towards the more secluded area of the hospital. Upon arriving at a lone hallway, he stopped in front of a door heavily guarded by Anbu and gave them his identity. They nodded and let him through. Neji opened the door and flicked on the lights. Uchiha Sasuke was still in that a bounded position. He marched forward and without a single word, slapped two Jyuuken into his abdomen. Sasuke revolted, shocked and bit out a swear. He never noticed the Hyuga's presence. All his chakra networks were blocked so only a sense of smell and sound told him of anyone's presence. Neji continued to assault the Uchiha, taking all his anger and resentment towards the one man that ruined Hinata. He didn't care if he killed him. He didn't even care if he ripped his limbs off. Neji wanted Sasuke to feel pain intensely. Screams echoed from the room the two Anbu were guarding. They quickly left their stations and were about to enter when a hand halted them. Neji pushed one last Jyuuken at Sasuke's chest but a loud and strong voice spoke up.

"Save the rest of your assault for later Neji." Tsunade looked at him with cold indifference. Neji stopped and looked back. Sasuke was panting heavily. The front of his shirt was smeared with blood. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Jyuuken didn't do external damage. Ah, it was most likely naruto.

"I have some news, Uchiha. All the crimes you have done before didn't bother me. However, this time, you severely injured an important Konoha shinobi. Normally, i would order to kill you immediately. However, this kunoichi would be very unhappy that someone was killed on her accord. So, i will be putting your life in Hinata's hands. It will be her decision whether she wants you dead or suffering in jail." _Knowing her, she would want him to live._ Anger appeared on Sasuke's face._ They are letting a weak and stupid heiress decide my life!?_ Tsunade marched forward and grabbed Sasuke's collar roughly.

"I don't have many personal bonds, Uchiha. However, Hinata is a precious student to me. I don't care of she wants you to live or die. I will make sure you want to die wither way." She stepped back and looked at Neji.

"Don't worry. I'll make his life miserable. You can rest assured." Neji glared at Sasuke and marched out of the building with Tsunade. Sasuke cursed when they left. The hag didn't even bother to heal him. To think that his life was in the hand of a timid idiot. He scowled. How many people were gonna assault him today? Already three incredibly powerful people had lodged threats in his head along with some punches. Who was next, Kiba? Unfortunately, that was exactly the person that entered the quite room. Only five minutes had passed since the last assault and another fist grabbed. A deep growl came from beside the man that had his collar in his hand.

"Right now, all i wanna do is let Akamaru rip you to shreds. Hokage-sama ordered us not to kill you because she wants you alive for your trail."

"Kiba, remember that she wanted him alive. You can do as much damage as you want as long as he is still alive." A devious smirk was hidden behind that collar and sunglasses.

The two Anbu guarding Uchiha's room winced as they heard screams for the second time that day. Even though they both loathed the Uchiha, they were curious exactly what kind of torture he was experiencing. The screaming halted and the two men responsible for it stepped out along with a dog.

"Our work is done." Shino said and they both calmly exited. The two Anbu cringed at his tone of voice. They sure wouldn't wanna be the Uchiha.

Hinata opened her eyes slowly, registering her surroundings. The room was quiet was peaceful. Her heart felt heavy and Hinata felt ashamed. She had never wanted to be weak in front of Neji but one look at his pleading face and all her barriers broke. Someone knocked on the door and opened it slowly. Tsunade marched in and greeted Hinata.

"Let's get right down to business. First of all, your leg will need to be removed. After that, i will attach a prosthetic leg to your body. It will take a lot of time for you to get used to it so i will give you some crutches to move around with. Your leg will unable to receive any chakra. Got it?" Hinata nodded and Tsunade took a deep breath. Let's get started, shall we?"

Ok! Hopefully, I gave people satisfaction in this chapter. The next one of course will be out next Saturday. Please review and tell me what you guys thought of this little chapter. Any questions you guys have, you can PM me and I'll definitely reply. Now you may start reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9 Thank You

Patience Chapter 9: Thank You

Tons and tons of homework blocked my path to the fanfiction world! That is the reason why my update is so late!

Disclaimer: Haven't done this for a while... Still don't own anything. -_-

It was done. Hinata shifted her eyes to see her leg inside a cast. Tsunade had finished the surgery and now she had a wooden leg instead of flesh. Her new leg was still inside a cast so her body could properly attach itself to the wood. She could feel no connection to her leg, just emptiness. Now that her leg was taken care of, Hinata wondered what she was to do. The clan thought she was a burden and wanted no part of her. She only had two options. She could bear the cursed seal or marry some stranger she had never met and peacefully live with. At this moment, the cursed seal sounded much more appealing. She took a deep breath and looked out the window. Even though Hinata never really wanted the title of being an heir, knowing for sure now that she would never get it saddened her. She wondered what her father thought of her. I'm probably a burden to him too. Gloomily, she watched the beautiful sun shine bright. Too bad i have to stay in this hospital for the time being. Her thoughts drifted to the coming decision. She could happily bear the seal since she would stay in the family and not in some stranger's hand. And then there was Naruto. She could stay and see him. Several ideas shifted into her head. After some debate with herself, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her decision was made. There would be no going back. The soft rustle of the wind moving the curtains lulled Hinata to sleep.

Naruto sat atop the Hokage Mountain deep in thought. The wind played with his locks moving them around slowly. His headband was off and by his side. So many thoughts revolved inside his head, all leading to one question, how could Hinata ever get her life back? He tried to think of anything and everything but Naruto just didn't know what would he do to help? Every thought lead to a dead end. He heard scuffling of feet behind him and turned his face to look at his visitor.  
"Naruto, can i sit by you?" Sakura asked hesitatingly. He gave a short nod and went back to staring at the view in front of him. Sakura walked forward and sat down awkwardly next to him. She wanted so badly to burst into tears and beg for forgiveness. After going over her actions, she realized that even if Naruto dropped an anvil on Sasuke, he wouldn't die so easily. Her caring for him more was definitely not right. Then there was Hinata. She couldn't imagine the suffering she went through. Sakura turned her head to look into those azure pools and smiled sadly.  
"It's ok. Hinata is a strong shinobi. She'll pull through." The words coming out of her mouth were hopelessly pathetic. Even so, she just wanted to see a smiled on that whiskered face. Naruto looked towards her and tried a bitter smile.  
"Yeah...she'll pull through." Sakura chewed her lip as guilt surrounded her. She wanted to ask him but words wouldn't escape her mouth. She just wanted to ask him to forgive Sasuke. Before she could speak, Naruto got up silently and nodded towards her once before leaving her on that empty mountain, with guilt and sadness. She turned her head and mirrored Naruto's previous sitting position.

Naruto walked around the streets of Konoha not even bothering to look exactly where he was headed. He realized Hinata's surgery was most likely done. Deciding to go see how she felt, he headed towards the Konoha hospital. Upon arriving, Naruto headed straight for the appointed room where Hinata currently was. He knocked softly at the door and waited. No sound or even a shuffle of blankets reached his highly trained ears. He opened the door slowly to find the lavender eyed Hyuga sleeping peacefully. Naruto stepped inside and walked forward to sit by her. Her pale features were peaceful and her breathing was even. He moved his head to see her legs. Her left leg was now bandages into a smaller cast then the one she had before. He looked back at her face to notice a detail he had missed. Small tears streaked her face and her eyes were slightly blotchy. His heart shattered in a million pieces just by looking at those small drops of water. A look of determination was set in Naruto's eyes as he slowly stroked the droplets away from her face. She surprised him by snuggling into his hand and moving her cheek so now Naruto's hand was trapped between her soft skin and the bed. He blushed faintly but smiled. Leaning his head to the wall next to him, Naruto closed his eyes fell asleep right next her.

A knock on the door interrupted Hinata's blissful dream in which she was snuggling next to Naruto. She felt soft pressure under her cheek and moved her head only to see her dream had turned onto reality. More like she had dreamt of reality. Naruto opened his eyes blearily and scowled at being awoken. He felt someone staring at him to see Hinata with her doe eyes wide open and staring at him. It took a minute for her to process the information. Naruto slept next to her, Naruto slept with her! With a loud squeak, Hinata moved away only to stumble off the bed, startling Naruto and surprising herself. He quickly jumped off the bed and knelt down beside her. "Hinata! Are you ok?" Worry was in those deep blue eyes and it took a while for Hinata to rip her attention away from them and at the matter at hand. "Eh? A-ah! N-naruto-kun. What a-are you doing h-here?" She asked quietly. He bent down and helped the poor soul up and smiled. "I came by to check on you last night but you were sleeping. So i sat down beside you and before i knew it, i was asleep too!" He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck.  
The suddenly opened and an angry Tsunade stepped inside only to stop at the scene before her. Hinata was on the floor along with Naruto who had a grip on her back. Several thoughts ran through her head, all of them leading to killing the bastard for laying a hand on an injured patient. She swiftly moved forward, grabbed Naruto by the collar and slammed him into the nearest wall, making him wince.  
"B-baa-chan! What did i do!?" He cried. Tsunade simply put on a fake smile and looked towards Hinata.  
"Exactly when did he make a move on you?" She asked. Move? Ah! Hinata quickly figured out the situation and tried to get up, but failed and slid back on the ground. Tsunade immediately let go of Naruto and helped her up. After muttering a thank you, she cleared up the situation.

"Naruto-kun was j-just helping me up b-because i f-fell off the bed." She stuttered. Tsunade moved her glare towards the blonde on the floor trying to catch his breath.  
"Well, alright. I need to discuss a few things with Hinata. Do you want to leave now?" She tapped her foot impatiently. Naruto looked towards Hinata. "Do you want me to stay?" He asked. In return, she looked towards the blond woman.  
"Is Naruto-kun allowed to stay?" She asked a little pleadingly. Tsunade though for a moment, what she was about to say to Hinata would not sit right with Naruto and he might try to influence her. However, she needed support at this time. Tsunade sighed. "Alright, you can stay." Anyway, get off the floor and sit down. She helped Hinata to the bed and sat down herself. Naruto grumbled about the pain and sat down beside Hinata. "Let's begin. First of all, now that your leg is wooden, it will take some time to get used to it so i have some crutches for you. I will release you from the hospital today so that you can start using your leg to get used to it. You need to have someone by your side at all times alright?" Hinata nodded.  
"One final thing. The man that injured you, how do you feel about him?" Naruto stiffened at this question and looked towards Hinata. Her expression was surprisingly calm. She smiled. "I do not hold any hatred towards Sasuke-san." She said. This answer baffled Naruto and Tsunade, though the plump woman didn't show her emotions like Naruto did. "But he took away your life! If he hasn't injured you, you would never been like this!" The lavender eyed woman shook her head. "He had every reason to injure me. We were enemies in a battle. You don't take pity on your enemy. No matter whom they are." Stunned silence filled the room. Even Tsunade was surprised. To think there is actually a person in this world that doesn't hold a grudge when she has every reason too.  
"Well...it's in your hands to decide whether Sasuke lives or dies. If you want him to die, then there will be immediate execution. However, if you want him to live, he will suffer a year in jail. Which do you want?" Without any hesitation Hinata spoke. "I'd like him to live and repent for all the pain he caused to others. To Sakura-san, to you Naruto-kun and to all the others that he hurt." Tsunade smiled at her answer.  
"I'll inform the elders. You are released from the hospital. Naruto, i order you to help Hinata adjust with her leg." She got up and gave a nod before leaving. Naruto sat there, still stunned by Hinata's answer. She looked at him quizzically, those tinted orbs morphed into confusion. "Naruto-kun? Let's go ne?" His mind snapped back to attention and Naruto shook his head. He helped the shy woman up and smiled down at her. "You know Hinata; i could never have as much courage as you. Already you have saved me 3 times. Thank You." Without warning, He snaked his arms around Hinata's waist and enveloped her in a hug. That one thank you had so many reasons. For a minute, a deep red tinted Hinata's face but she slowly returned his hug ad buried her face in his ramen smelling jacket.  
"Thank _You_."

Yippie! This was a chapter to get things going and hopefully it contained enough fluff to satisfy my Naruhina readers! Don't worry, there will be more Naruhina! Now i need to get back into the world of math equations and kill myself. -_-

~Thejollyhyuga 


	10. Chapter 10 Sealed Fate

I have finally escaped the world of homework and can spend some more time on writing chapters! Yippie! I can't believe i forgot to thank all the people that reviewed! It should be my first priority! Thank you soo much for reviewing Ayrmed, DotheRoar2012, , YungHime, , Kika04, Roxie.88 Dawoyo and everyone else that reads my story! Hugs to you all! Ok, let's get on with the story, shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but i do own...nothing. I got nothing. -_- 

Chapter 10: Sealed Fate

The hospital door opened and the Konoha streets came into view of Hinata's lavender orbs. She scanned her surroundings and smiled. It was good to get out of that clammy ward and take a whiff of some fresh air. She tried to hobble forward but Naruto quickly caught her stumbling body before she could fall again. He chuckled at her embarrassed expression. "Take it easy! You've got me to lean on right!" She gave an embarrassed nod ad grasped Naruto's shoulder to balance herself. Taking the crutch in one arm, she deposited her weight on it and clutched the other crutch. Naruto let go of her body gently and watched her balance on the two wooden sticks. Just in case, he held his arms out to catch her if she fell. Hinata let go of one crutch and hesitantly touched her left leg the ground. She could feel just a silver of movement inside. Tsunade had positioned and placed special chakra wires inside the hollow wood that would act in place of her nerves. It would take time, but she had assured her that slowly, all of the tiny tubes would connect to her body, letting her feel complete movement in her leg. Until that happened, Hinata was forced to hobble around with crutches and be a burden for the rest of people around her. Naruto noticed her face take a gloomy appearance and touched her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry Hinata. We all want to help you and no one thinks of you as a burden! So cheer up ne?" He smiled brightly to prove his point. Hinata smiled back and nodded. "Arigato Naruto-kun." She lifted her leg of the ground and leaned on the crutch for support again. This time, she tried to move forward by letting her right leg touch the ground and use the momentum to push herself. It worked perfectly and after a few wobbles, Hinata got the hang of using the crutches. They both stepped into the sunshine and continued their way to Ichiraku. Hinata wanted to postpone her meeting with the clan elders as much as possible so she happily took up Naruto's offer to treat her to ramen. As they walked through the village (Hinata hobbled) several people stopped to greet the young kunoichi and murmur quiet sympathetic remarks about her leg. She simply waved them away with a small smile but each pitied remark added more despair inside her heart. Soon, they reached the familiar Ramen shop and went inside. Teuchi glanced at his customers and gave a smile, crinkling the wrinkles around his eyes.  
"Welcome! Sit down, both of you!" He gestured to the seat and turned back to making the usual order for Naruto. Naruto took the crutches from Hinata's and helped her sit. He deposited them beside her chair and started chattering like a squirrel. Ayame leaned over the counter and smiled at the two. "I already know your order Naruto, but what would you like Hinata-san?" She asked politely. Hinata smiled shyly and spoke. "One chicken ramen please." (A/n I do not know if that's an actual flavour so apologies if it isn't!)  
"Coming right up!" She scribbled down the order and handed it to Teuchi. The said man smiled and glanced back at the chattering ninja and the smiling kunoichi. He had heard of what had happened to the Hyuga heiress. More like former heiress. Heck, it was the news of Konoha. Many theories had concocted as to how the poor fragile young maiden had gotten such a huge injury. The sad thing was, though the old man, that no one actually cared what happened to her, they just needed another topic to gossip on. He had not given any remarks to the shy Hyuga, considering it wise to just keep his own thoughts to himself. After all, pity was not something that was appreciated. He quietly finished the orders of 2 dozen bowls of ramen with different flavour and one single chicken ramen. Two bowls of ramen were placed in front of the two friends. Naruto's eyes gleamed with delight and he rapidly started chowing down his food. Hinata pit a small hand to her lips to stop an escaping giggle as she noticed a noodle stuck to his face. Naruto looked up from his bliss of ramen to see Hinata giggling slightly. Her lips curved slightly and a light shade of red adorned her face while her eyes crinkled up. At that moment, she looked more blissful than his ramen. Shaking his head wildly, Naruto took away all the confusing thought inside him. He really was focussing a lot on Hinata's beauty these days. But how could he not? Every aspect of her was something to gawk at. Her lavender eyes and soft hair, her slim figure and oh...those lips. They looked so soft and so full...his head snapped back to attention. I shouldn't be thinking thoughts like this! Instead he dug his face back into his ramen and tried to ignore the weird thought his mind was producing. Hinata had noticed none of the conflicting thoughts going through Naruto's face and instead, focused on her ramen. She glanced at her side to see Naruto stuffing his face like a chipmunk and smiled. After finishing their meals, they both paid the bill and Hinata politely thanked Teuchi for his service while Naruto simply argued with Ayame that his ramen didn't have enough noodles today. Hinata moved to get off the chair, completely forgetting that she had an attached leg for a moment and fell to the ground face first. Naruto's attention snapped back to her and he quickly helped her up. "Hinata! You ok? Oh I'm so sorry! I should have helped you up!" The said women got up and groaned silently at the pain shooting up in her arm. She had most likely bruised her arm badly. Naruto took her arm and she jolted away. _Yup, definitely sprained._ He gave her a questioning look. "I-i think i sprained my arm." She said sheepishly. Naruto chuckled and lifted her up bridal style, earning a squeak from the woman in return. He grabbed the crutches and strapped them behind his back.  
"N-n-naruto-kun! W-what are y-you doing?" Hinata asked while blushing a few shades of red. Naruto simply chuckled and tightened his grip around her just a bit, making her squeak again.  
"You bruised your arm when you fell and that won't enable you to use your crutches. Unless you wanna crawl your way back to the compound, I'm carrying you." He said with a serious face. Hinata lowered her head in an attempt to hide her red face. Villagers looked at the two of them in surprise and confusion as they moved through the village. Just to embarrass her further, Naruto decided to take the log route to the compound.  
"N-naruto-kun...can we please take shorter route?" She asked quietly. Even though she wasn't excited to go home, she didn't want embarrassment. Naruto faked surprise. "What? There was a shorter route? I had no idea!" He said.  
"Naruto-kun...please." Hinata murmured. He looked at her expression and smiled.  
"Alright! Top speed we go!" He tightened his grip and dashed towards the direction of the compound at break neck speed. He expected Hinata to yell at him. However, as he looked down, she seemed to be enjoying it as a graceful smile was on her beautiful face. He chuckled and continued his insane speed. They arrived at the compound shortly. Before Naruto could go in, Hinata spoke.  
"Naruto-kun...I can go on from here." She smiled at him. He looked unsure for a while but smiled. "Alright. Just let me call someone to help you ne?" She nodded and Naruto put her down gently before taking her left arm, the non-bruised one and slung it over his neck. Together, they walked inside. Guards blocked the entrance but thy let them in. Naruto noticed that none of them even bothered to look at Hinata. He growled lowly and headed inside. They entered the huge garden where a Hyuga member was guarding the main door. He looked at the two of them and his eyes lit up in worry.  
"Hinata-sama! Are you alright? I heard of what happened but i wasn't allowed to leave my post. I apologize deeply!" He rushed over and bowed to the woman. Hinata smiled at him.  
"Please lift your face, Ko-san." He looked up and asked once more. "Are you alright?"  
"Yes. I'm fine. Naruto-kun, you can go now. Ko-san will help me out. Thank you for escorting me here." She said in a rigid tone. Naruto noticed the change in her voice but didn't let on. He simply smiled and waved a bit before leaving.  
Ko slung her arm over his shoulder and led her inside. Every Hyuga member stopped and bowed to them as they passed by. Hinata nodded her head to each of them and let Ko guide her to her room. That moment was getting closer and closer. She hobbled inside her room and Ko bowed to her before leaving. She sat down on the bed and put her crutched to the side. Inspecting her arm, she made two hand seals and soft chakra emitted from her hand. She touched her arm and within minutes, the bruise was completely gone. _If only the same case was with my leg...  
_She leaned over and opened her drawer. Inside, was a picture off her, mother and father. She smiled and took it out. She was laughing and riding on her father's shoulders while her mother was beside them and smiling. That had been when she was still healthy. She put the picture away and leaned back, putting her back against the head board. The sun was slowly setting and her eyelids were getting heavy. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

Sunlight filled the room, making Hinata wake up from her sleep. She yawned and opened her eyes and looked around. _Oh...I'm back._ She slid her feet over the bed and moved her left leg a bit. She could feel a little bit more attachment from last time. She grabbed her crutches and hobbled out of the room into the bathroom. With some difficulty, she dressed herself into pants and a shirt. She hobbled out of the bathroom, into her room and outside. She hobbled deeper into the compound until she reached and small door to the left of her hallway. She opened it and hobbled inside. It was surprisingly clean. She went to the other side and slid open another door that led to the garden. Stepping outside, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The old table had been replaced with something else. She hobbled over and stared down at the grave stone in front of her. With some difficulty, she sat down. Slipping her fingers out of the crutch, he grazed them over the carving etched into the stone. She took a deep breath and spoke. 

"Okaa-san, I'm about to make a choice forced upon me...wish me luck ne?" She sat there for a few hours and just stared at the stone with a dazed-out expression. After a while, she snapped out of her daze and stood up. She put pressure on her right leg and hobbled before grabbing her crutches and made her way out of the garden. She exited the small room and headed for the elders room. Just as she reached the paper doors, Hiashi stepped out. Looking up, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his expression went back to uncaring. 

"The elders are expecting you." He said and simply left. Hinata looked back at him sadly. Her fear was confirmed now. She would be considered a burden. She hobbled inside and looked around. The room was wide and open. Seven old people were sitting in a semi-circle, facing the door. She bowed her head to each one of them and sat down carefully. After bowing her head lowly towards them, she waited. 

"We have been expecting you." One of the elders spoke in a deep voice. The woman beside him looked at Hinata with hidden disgust. 

"Since you have gone and injured your leg beyond belief, you have made yourself even more useless than before. We have given you a choice. Either you make yourself less useless and marry someone of our choice or we put the seal on you. Which one have you chosen?" Hinata sunk even lower and spoke with an even voice.  
"I have chosen...To marry someone of your choice."

If people are wondering where the hell Neji is, that will be revealed next week on Saturday! I just love making cliff hangers! Muhaha!  
You people should check out DoTheRoar2012's stories! They are awesome! Review and tell me what you think of this development! Also if you liked the Naruhina i put in there!

~TheJollyHyuga


	11. Chapter 11

Patience Chapter 11: Trial

I realised that i usually rush my chapters. So i have an announcement. _I hereby declare the authoress TheJollyHyuga will now be posting her chapters on Sunday. She is hiding in a corner right now because she is scared of all those people out to get her for doing such things to Hinata-chan. These were her last words before she was pummelled with readers. "Remember...this fic i-is... Naru...Hi-Hina." Only choking noises can be heard after that. She would like to thank Ayrmed, DotheRoar2012, YungHime, Roxie88, Hinataellis, .92372446. If she has missed out your name, she apologizes. She thanks everyone that reads her story._

Disclaimer: _Since she is being hoarded right now, i shall get the honour to do say that she does not own Naruto. It is the property of someone else. She doesn't like him because of that_.

The elder smiled viciously. "Good. This will help us keep the reputation you so happily ripped out. You are dismissed now. Expect there to be a formal party around next week. You will arrive looking your best so that you seem appeasable to them. We will pick the suitor appropriate for marriage and you will meet him. Also, since you have dirtied the Hyuga name, you are no longer fit to be the Hyuga Heiress. That title will be given to a much better Hyuga, Your little Sister." Hinata silently curled her hand into a fist and nodded once in her bowing position.

"Of Course, Yumi-sama. I ask for forgiveness for dirtying the Hyuga name." She got up carefully and slid her into the crutch. After exiting, Hinata wobbled away, filled with a sense of dread and gloom over what she had just done. What was she going to tell Naruto? _What about_ _Neji and Shino and Kiba?_ The least they would do would be to barge in the compound and demand as to why this was happening_. No, i have to keep this to myself._ Hinata murmured. She bumped into a figure as she was deep in thought. Losing her balance, Hinata tumbled back but a strong grip caught her hand pulled her forward. She stumbled into Neji's hard chest in shock. He placed his right hand behind her back to hold her still while he looked down at her in worry.

"Are you alright Hinata-sama?" He asked. She looked down for a few moments before putting up a smile. "Yes, i was just in thought. Sumimase." Neji frowned. Her tone of voice and her smile was forced. His gazed went to the hallway she had entered from and dread filled him.

"You went to see the elders." He said quietly. Hinata looked away quickly and bit her bottom lip. Neji gripped her shoulders slightly. He moved his hand up and shifted her bangs to see no mark at all on her forehead. Neji sucked in his breath, realizing what answer she had chosen.

"Did you choose...marriage?" He asked. The lavender eyed women couldn't take it anymore. Tears spilled down in pools and she shook slightly. Neji immediately grasped her in a hug, uncaring to his surroundings and tightened his grip. Anger coiled inside him along with fear and hatred. Fear for Hinata and hatred for the ones that left her on this position.

"I am so sorry that i was on a mission while this happened. If i had known..."

"T-they w-w-wouldn't a-allow you to in-interfere." She choked out.  
Neji growled deep in his throat.

"I would have anyway." He scowled. Looking down at her, his gaze softened and he tilted her chin a bit to take a good look at her face.

"Do you know who they are choosing?"  
He asked. She shook her head and use one hand to wipe away the tears.

"N-ni-san...can we go sit in the garden and talk." She asked.  
Neji nodded and slipped an arm around her in support.

* * *

"I see..." Neji muttered quietly. Hinata had told him about the events that had occurred in the elders' room. He was silent for a few moments and Hinata noticed his fists curl. She immediately put her hand over his, making him release his tightly clenched hand and hold her soft one in assurance.

"Ni-san...i have already chosen. Please don't cause a fuss, I beg you."  
Her quiet voice pierced him like a sharp blade never could. He reached over ad cupped her cheek softly before smiling.

"Hinata-sama...i won't cause a fuss if you don't want me too but please tell me honestly if this is really what you want."

Hinata smiled and touched his hand. "Yes. This is what i want." The stoic shinobi sighed in defeat.

"Alright then. Do you want me to tell the others or will you tell them yourself?"  
Hinata's eyes widened. "D-do they have to k-know..." She asked silently.  
Neji looked puzzled but nodded slightly. Lavender eyes looked at him pleadingly. "Ni-san, i don't want anyone else to know. Especially, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun and... Naruto-kun." He looked at her for a moment.

"You do know that in a matter of minutes, news travels through Konoha. They will find out anyway. Whether it's by you or by some stranger." Hinata sighed and looked down.

"But...alright. I will tell them myself. I just wish-"

"Hinata-sama, the Hokage sent you a message."  
Both Neji and Hinata looked up to see Ko standing there with a scroll in his hand. She took the parchment and thanked him before dismissing him. She perused the scroll for a while, slowly reading it. Neji looked at her with mild anxiety. "Well, what does it say?"

"It's an invitation to Sasuke's trial. It's being held in an hour and we need to be there along with the rest of the rookie nine and Gai sensei's team." She answered quietly. Neji nodded once.

"I'll go inform the rest of the group." He held out a hand and Hinata gratefully took it.

They both continued to her room where Neji gently helped her lay down.

"Please stay here for now. If you need anything, just call and don't get up for anything yourself." With these instructions, Neji left Hinata to ponder as to what would be happening in just an hour.

Cold air rushed inside as the door to the huge cell opened. Sasuke looked up, scowling. Who is it this time? Four Anbu walked in along with the Hokage. Sasuke immediately sensed her threatening chakra. He tilted his face to meet her stare. Tsunade stared back in annoyance. She put her hand on Sasuke's forehead and muttered a few words. Stabbing pain filled Sasuke's mind for just a moment before he felt numbness. Shit! She sealed my eyes. He scowled.  
Tsunade removed the black cloth covering the Uchiha's eyes. Dull obsidian glared back at her. She looked at him with indifference. Turning on her heel, she marched away. The Anbu took her signal and quickly bound Sasuke's wrists together. Grabbing his shoulders, they marched him towards the door. The two remaining Anbu took out a kunai and angled them behind Sasuke's neck. He scowled at feeling the pressure of a sharp blade. They continued marching and soon, Sasuke felt the afternoon sun on his back. Where are they taking me? He thought with annoyance. Shadows passed over his face and he felt the cold hit him in the back. Ok, now we are inside again. He felt the temperature change and realized they were in a meeting room. The Anbu directed him in the centre of the room and made him stand there. Two heavy weights that sucked chakra were strapped to him, instantly making him wince in pain. Tsunade stepped forward to unseal his eyes. Sharp light penetrated his vision after such a long time. The Uchiha blinked rapidly to try and adjust his eyes. When they did, he realized he was in the Daimyo headquarters. Surprisingly, Only the Hokage was present out of the Gokage. He looked around and noticed all his comrades staring at him with grim expressions. He locked his gaze with each one of them, giving a glare to Naruto and Sakura and a look of sneer to Hinata, who surprised him by smiling back. He quickly looked away and focussed on the Hokage's words trying his best to ignore and sniffling and sobbing Sakura.

"Uchiha Sasuke. You have committed many crimes in the past, some of which could have been forgiven had you not gone so far as to hurt a member of Konoha's very important medical team. As i had said before, your life would be decided by her. I gave her two choices, whether to forgive you and move on of to go along with execution." At this point, all of the People in the room looked at Hinata, who looked ahead and pointedly ignored all the stares she had gotten. She could feel Sakura's eyes bore into her back bit she ignored it and held on tightly to Neji's hand.  
Several thoughts led into Sasuke's head all pointing in one direction. He was dead. Tsunade took a deep breath and smirked.

"She decided to let a sorry scum like you live and forgive you. I will now tell you exactly WHAT that means."

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked sideways at the woman sitting next to her. Hinata smiled gently and nodded her head. A whispered Thank You choked out of Sakura's mouth before she continued to listen to Tsunade.

"Uchiha Sasuke, listen closely. You will now spend one Year on jail to repent and hopefully learn from this. After that Year is over, you will be bumped down to an Academy student and will have to pass the standard Genin Test. If you pass that, you will only be given D rank missions and will always be with you team. Until you have proven that you are a Konoha Shinobi and have repented for your crimes, you will be under the care of Hatake Kakashi and unable to use those precious eyes of yours. Right now, you are at the level of an academy student. After that year is over, you will be learning the academy basics. That's all, you are dismissed." The Anbu leapt up and dragged away a swearing Sasuke. Sakura looked shocked but just sat there. The meeting was over.

I escaped from all those readers! Thanks again for doing the announcement and disclaimer_! You're welcome._ Wait, who are you again? _I have no idea_. O_O ok... Well, please review and i hoped you liked it! Apologies it was so late!  
I kind of lost motivation. I like reviews people so review! Ps. Next week, i shall give you guys a satisfying ending, not a cliff-hanger.

~Thejollyhyuga


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